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When the Hermit Appears
CNF Chapbook out from AlienBuddha Press, May 2022.'
Laura Eppinger's tale of learning to read the Tarot at a time of utter bewilderment: A vacation in Arizona filled with interpersonal drama, a bizarre love triangle, and an unsuccessful attempt to quit nicotine.
What if the desert doesn't bring wisdom or clarity--just chapped hands and nosebleeds? And let's get this out of the way right now: a couple goes to the Grand Canyon and NO ONE proposes.
Laura Eppinger's tale of learning to read the Tarot at a time of utter bewilderment: A vacation in Arizona filled with interpersonal drama, a bizarre love triangle, and an unsuccessful attempt to quit nicotine.
What if the desert doesn't bring wisdom or clarity--just chapped hands and nosebleeds? And let's get this out of the way right now: a couple goes to the Grand Canyon and NO ONE proposes.
44 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2022
11 people want to read
About the author
Laura Eppinger
2 books14 followersLaura Eppinger (she/they) knows that the Jersey Devil is real. Laura’s work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as Best of the Net. Learn more at lauraeppinger.blog
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 12, 2022
tarot cards are interesting bc like astrology and freudian analysis and any other number of things that may or may not fall under the all consuming banner of bullshit they have an undeniable impact on our emotional lives when they intersect with us, or when they feel true, and that makes the hype about them completely true in an almost more real way than other stuff that we can touch and feel. after all, reality is just stories we tell ourselves while trying to construct a subjective experience in a way that we can believe it's objective, and it's that subjectivity that gives the structure of our lives aesthetic value, which is how we determine things like: are we happy? are we in love? are we falling off a cliff? and so a tarot card reading, even if you're a "skeptic" uses the semiotics of parallelism between modern and older cultures to push you toward emotional reactions that ARE part of YOUR narrative and thus are REAL in exactly the way that they purport to be. what am I talking about here.
this is a pretty straight forward narrative about a tense relationship with commentary directly on various social issues like class resentment and inter-partner jealousy told by a thoughtful protagonist who is nearly always in pain throughout the text. it's threaded through with all the tarot card stuff that makes up the first paragraph of this review, and the functionality and history of tarot comments directly on the narrative's primary relationship and tension, including a misunderstanding and reinterpretation of a reading that shows how in the wrong hands the rendering of narrative can be hurtful.
also im a sucker for the desert.
this is a pretty straight forward narrative about a tense relationship with commentary directly on various social issues like class resentment and inter-partner jealousy told by a thoughtful protagonist who is nearly always in pain throughout the text. it's threaded through with all the tarot card stuff that makes up the first paragraph of this review, and the functionality and history of tarot comments directly on the narrative's primary relationship and tension, including a misunderstanding and reinterpretation of a reading that shows how in the wrong hands the rendering of narrative can be hurtful.
also im a sucker for the desert.
September 16, 2022
Laura Eppinger’s heartfelt memoir reads with lightning speed and also electrifies with its range of emotions and musings. It’s sad and resilient, quirky and earnest, bold and vulnerable. I’m always impressed with writers who share their lives and reveal their souls. Eppinger’s short memoir delivers the type of story that engaged me from the outset and brought me into her world. She invested me with plenty to reflect on about the complexity of human interactions. I admire her candor in examining the trials of her relationship within a timeframe of circumstances that revolve around her interest in Tarot. Her narrative nicely weaves together a series of events relating to the uncanny and oftentimes head-shaking ironies of fortune-telling. The experiences Eppinger recounts in When the Hermit Appears made for an intriguing and memorable story.
September 17, 2022
A good reflective story on the nuances of a relationship read through the tarot. A great read with your coffee in an easy morning.
April 26, 2022
I have the sudden urge to get a card reading...
Real talk. When the Hermit Appears, much like everything I have read by the author, is written with an eloquence that transports you into the story. I felt what the author felt, saw what she saw, and smoked when she smoked (because apparently nicotine can find you even when you're deep into reading, damn addiction). I felt as though I was living these moments of life with her.
The story itself was immersive and relatable. I'm a sucker for books with characters (or real people) that I can connect with. The raw emotion and the honesty regarding complex relationships are why I adore CNR and this book.
Real talk. When the Hermit Appears, much like everything I have read by the author, is written with an eloquence that transports you into the story. I felt what the author felt, saw what she saw, and smoked when she smoked (because apparently nicotine can find you even when you're deep into reading, damn addiction). I felt as though I was living these moments of life with her.
The story itself was immersive and relatable. I'm a sucker for books with characters (or real people) that I can connect with. The raw emotion and the honesty regarding complex relationships are why I adore CNR and this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews