The Logoharp is now a James Posedel piano tuning widget
James Posedel, a professional pianist in Asheville NC, the guy who actually played at our wedding, and regularly appears as a guest Liberace at The Biltmore, picked up The Logoharp and decided to riff on what he was reading…
MARCO DID NOT!
May 7: Just some fun updates for you as I sit down to lunch and crack open my current friend. These become more stream-of-consciousness as they progress, and I had fun reflecting ~
So, I’m at the cusp of that major twist. Perhaps I ought to have seen it coming… with Naomi’s verbatim report to Marco after they parted ways.
I’m most struck by how I’m not being lead to feel or believe a particular narrative in this story. I’m a thoughtful third-party observer who sometimes agrees with Naomi and company’s decisions, curiosities and ethical justifications, and sometimes I’d choose to live different. It helps Naomi to feel more human to my reader-self. “Human” feels like a poignant descriptor to use here.
I’m appreciating how this story is more about how individuals grapple with the themes of identity, loyalty, and making meaning from our lived experiences.
The meetup with Jens on that moon base is a solid example. I’m left chewing on the complexities of such a situation even when the book isn’t in my hands.
Right now, I’m honing in on the tasty mix of ironic flavors that are:
– Naomi and Marco split (for many reasons) because Naomi was never Chinese enough for him.
– Naomi’s transformation makes her an asset to China. She’s on a trajectory towards ‘elite’.
– Still, Marco is more vital to the government than Naomi is.
– Or (cue drum roll) he WAS. Now he’s her target!
SHOULD NAOMI INTERFERE WITH ‘DEATH CULTURE?’
To me, Marco’s salvation lies in his rationale behind building the (elders’) escape hatch in Manchuria. Is he doing it for profit or for morality? How does Marco feel about betraying his beloved country? Does he see it as betrayal? Would he look Naomi in the eyes and say “I couldn’t love you because you could never understand my country. Today, you know more academic history about my country than I ever could. I betray my country and I made a grave mistake.”Even if he reflects – it doesn’t change the past or the future. Maybe they were never supposed to be lifelong lovers, and Naomi is truly at peace with that fact.
Furthermore – who’s to say Naomi ought to interfere with one particular death culture? Especially when people go voluntarily. Happily, even. Claiming the power to say “people shouldn’t be allowed to die like that” is awfully close to playing God. Those bodies are being recycled for important resources. Does Naomi have a follow-up plan to address the resource crisis? If not, halting this death ceremony is liable to cause ripple effects.. true resolution feels so far away in this world you’ve created.
By the way… your building in the ‘memory/data loss’ due to a leaky heart valve is so freaking cool and sensical.
Also, during the interrogation, when her tines are twisted and her voice jumps up an octave.. yes.. I’ve heard pianos cry like that. Heck I’ve made ‘em do it! Reading a story where an instrument/human is tortured – and the interpretation of sounds/sensations – is really fun. I think you 10/10 nailed that bit. I’ll think of Naomi each time I need to hammer a pin deeper into a pinblock so it holds tighter.
I wonder how Naomi will escape the grid. Perhaps she’ll meet up with Jens, together they’ll find a secret moon base or under-sea crevasse and he’ll slowly operate on her (and love her) back to 90% human. With just a few small leftover RJ tricks up her sleeve (like a toasty detachable hand-warmer).
That’s it for now! Thanks for hearing my ramblings and for sharing this neat story. It’s very chewable, and the more I chew, the more nuanced flavors linger.
May 8
And.. a genuine non-steam-of-consciousness review will come at the end!
Also appreciating how Naomi defaults to robotic, one-sentence statements when she first re-encounters Marco.
Up until then, we get this rich inner narrative from Naomi. But Marco doesn’t know what to expect – or that it’s even her – so she doesn’t reveal a micron of her inner world. Just stands back and observes in order to prepare her reaction.
Moments like that make me really like Naomi as a being. She’s a smart cookie. Her wide-eyed-ness is a double-edged sword in a world that reallllly doesn’t encourage open eyes. — James
May 12: MARCO BITES ORANGE
Musician James Posedel in tune with The Logoharp
Can’t resist an update: Marco’s redeeming himself with his ‘snack chewing’ during the interrogation.
::picks up and bites orange::
“Whaddya mean the flaw is my fault? Sorry I couldn’t sooth-say beyond the bounds of known science to extrapolate outlying Newtonian variables that might reasonably impugn a system that you asked me to build because only my DNA could. That’s my fault. Me and “my women” should definitely all be tortured for… ::swallows orange:: wait a second, I lost my train of thought. Tortured? For what? I can hardly remember a thing because somebody wiped my memory. :: picks up an orange and digs thumb into it:: Maybe those who scooped me out should be tortured for impeding this righteous investigation. Probably the same people who intentionally chose someone with “flawed DNA” to build their recycling system. Yeah, ::spits out orange seed. Wet::
___________
Our dialogue continues Part II
