Wow. So that's a mouthful, and it reads like the title of an auction catalog because that is precisely what it is. The tale of the relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris is told through the sale of their mutual belongings, some with personal annotations that reveal in more detail the rise and demise of love.
The author, Leanne Shapton (illustrator and art director for the NYT op-ed page), said she came up with the idea while purchasing some of Truman Capote's belongings at an auction. She said the items revealed a great deal about how Capote lived his last days in California. The Times has a review up if you want to read more, check it out.
I guess initially most people will say that its a commentary on the consumer culture we live in; that our lives can be distilled into the things we own. I prefer to look at it as a compliment: these people clearly owned things that amounted to a large collection of pieces which at least one (fictional) auction house thought were culturally significant enough to try and sell.
Like it or not, what you and I choose to own says a great deal about who we are. If you try not to let the things you own define you, the things you own will define you as a person who doesn't wish to be defined by his or her things, and you will therefore fail to be indefinable. It's science. It's also a hamster wheel of death, complete with diseased squirrels and venemous pigeons.
I apologize for being philosophical...I'm really just bored. What are you doing? Fun stuff? No? Yeah me either. I've got the TV on and I'm also occasionally screaming at my cat until he wakes up. My cat hates me.
Oh and the book has also been optioned for a movie already...and Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are set to star. Read all about it here.
via variety mobile
