Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Rachel Smythe, author of Lore Olympus and guest at Auckland Writers Festival.

The book I wish I’d written

I think taking someone’s idea from them feels too much like body horror for me. But in the spirit of the question, I’ll pick an author whose creative abilities I find aspirational. The book In the Dream House is a memoir by Carmen Maria Machado. If you, as a reader, are ever feeling starved for well-constructed prose, look no further than anything by Maria Machado.  

The beauty of Machado’s writing contrasts with the challenging subject matter, creating a uniquely visceral read. Through her personal experiences, she examines the sanitation of queer representation in media, which includes meaningful conversations around how this may be dehumanising. In the Dream House achieves a level of nuance I think most writers strive to possess, including myself.

The book everyone should read

I’m choosing two titles because I’m greedy. I’m so sorry to be completely predictable, but I have to say The Odyssey. However, it must be Emily Wilson’s translation. There are a lot of iterations of the Odyssey out there, but Wilson’s version has an introduction chapter that goes into great detail about her translation process. The thing about translating Homer’s epic is that, yes, it’s a localisation, but also a translation of context. 

I think a necessary component of media literacy is to be able to consider context. Context of the time, the political climate, the social consciousness, the location, what was popular, who the writer is etc etc, it’s all relevant and important. (Also, I love when Zeus thinks Hephaestus is a total loser for trapping Ares and Aphrodite in a net. Comedy gold.)

Everybody should also read Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams. This is a sobering read, which gives you a window into the minds of the people who run social media and beyond. Also, written by a Kiwi. This book reads like a dark parody at times – but it’s not – which makes it all the more terrifying. 

The book I wish I’d never read

I wish I’d never read Circe by Madeline Miller. Only so I could experience it for the first time all over again! It’s such a rich and immersive story about finding one’s place in the world, and I love it to bits. It’s the kind of book that I re-read every now and then to see if it will hit differently. But it never fails to please. 

The book I pretend I’ve read

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We were assigned the Hatchet for a school assignment. I might have read some of it, but I definitely never finished it. At the time I was a 14-year-old with a song in my heart, a love of fanfiction and an internet connection. A story about a boy surviving in the woods alone was fairly low on my list of priorities.

It’s a crime against language to …

Writing is hard, and I appreciate that any kind of writing takes effort. However, using AI to write a book is a pretty gutless thing to do. The making and sharing of art requires the risk of vulnerability. If your “writing” is made by regurgitating poor copies of others’ words and not your own, you aren’t putting yourself in your work at all. If you can’t be vulnerable, then I’m afraid you are a coward. Your own words, even if they are clumsy, will always be better because they are yours.

The book that made me cry

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang. This story had me crying in the first damn chapter. The way M.L. Wang is able to make you care about characters that you barely know is incredible. Blood Over Bright Haven is a standalone fantasy novel that I think should be rubbing shoulders with The Handmaid’s Tale and Brave New World. 

The book that made me laugh

The Wedding People by Alison Espach. You can’t have a feast without both sweet and salty. Espach understands levity and uses it expertly. Great to laugh, cry and everything in-between. If you ever need to feel hopeful, this is the kind of read that will renew your faith in people.

The book character I identify with most

Piggy from Lord of the Flies. For those not in the know, the tragedy of Piggy is that he is the smartest character in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. However, his speech and social standing make it easy for the other characters to dismiss him, even when listening to him would solve everything. I have a few learning disabilities, so sometimes it’s hard for me to communicate my point. This has caused people to maybe not take me as seriously as I would have liked.  

Encounter with an author

Once I was on a panel with Holly Black. I’m a huge fan of her work, so I knew what she looked like. When she arrived at the panel, I forgot myself and excitedly gave her a big wave. This was a mistake because she obviously had no idea who I was. This is one of those moments that haunts me when I’m trying to sleep.  

Greatest New Zealand writer

My friend, Jem Yoshioka. Her debut graphic novel Folk Remedy came out last year! Go read it! The sequel will be out later this year. Also, I’d like to encourage more people to read graphic novels. They’re a beautiful form of storytelling I think deserve a lot more love.

What I’m reading right now

I have a few books in rotation:

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I’m very slowly making my way through this book. 
• Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates. Clearly, Louis Theroux’s Documentary on the Manosphere didn’t make me upset enough.   
• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. So far, so good. 

Rachel Smythe appears in Auckland Writers Festival’s Plot Twist on Sunday May 17. The Lore Olympus series can be purchased from Unity Books.