7. "What do people need?"
What to do when a favourite author turns out to be a monster, and Psalms and Prayers for a better world
Dear reader,
Another Sunday, another newsletter issue that begins with “this is not what I had planned to write” but what can you do. As much as I want to spend time writing about the good stuff and the fun stuff, it would be remiss of me in the extreme to not say something about the current news dominating the international literary circles.
Especially when I’ve long considered the author one of my favourites and have written about him multiple times on this newsletter.
For those of you who haven’t read the Vulture piece from earlier this week about the investigation into Neil Gaiman and the many women who came forward with (credible) allegations of sexual abuse after the news of it first broke in July on a Tortoise Media podcast, be warned that it gets into very graphic, very disturbing, detail, and so it’s not something to tackle unless you’re in a good headspace (and even then, it’s a decision not to be taken lightly). Lila Shapiro shows the same incredible reporting and writing skills evident in her January 2022 piece, The Undoing of Joss Whedon.
Non-paywall link here for the NG piece: https://archive.is/W1arC
When the Gaiman news first broke, the details were horrific enough. But the ones revealed in the recent piece are worse than could be imagined. I don’t want to spend more time talking about them than I have, in private with friends, over the past week. I also don’t want to center myself when the ones most affected and hurt are the poor women he (and his partner Amanda Palmer) preyed on. But, given the nature of being a fan, it’s of course natural that there’s shock and grief and anger about finding out that an author whose stories you connected with is actually the opposite of everything he showed everyone for years—begging the question of how much of his public persona (the thoughtful feminist, the “good guy”) was a deliberated shield to protect himself and create an image, and how much is just unbelievable cognitive dissonance.
This is the first time I’ve had to face erasing a core favourite (Rowling wasn’t an all-time) and, if I’m being honest, I’m finding cutting the cord easier than I had thought it would be. I feel like much of my grief and processing happened in July, much of it unbeknownst to me, and so this next step doesn’t feel as life-altering. I am wondering, however, if I’m still in shock and the betrayal will hit me later, when it lifts.
At the core of the art-artist-fan relationship is an emotional connect, a deeply personal, intimate one at that, and hence very subjective. And yet, the work is the only thing we can claim any sort of real (non-parasocial) relationship with—everyone knows that once any story is “out there” it belongs to its readers more than it does its creator/s. We can only know as much about its author as they choose to reveal; yes even the so-called vulnerable sharing that will be, to a large extent, carefully constructed to impact some part of their larger brand. And yet, yet, how is it possible to “separate the art from the artist” because knowing what we know, irrevocably alters how we see, feel about, and approach said work; it changes how we emotionally relate to it. (The only time I can understand and adopt it is in certain cases where the author is no longer living.)
I feel like there is something to be said here, also, about a broken society—its definitions of success, who it platforms, promotes…and protects. About how revelations like these further muddy the waters and continue to propagate the myth of the tortured artist, the belief that genius and darkness go hand in hand. To which I present the quote below—
There is also the nature of said talent and genius. Can a bad person create good art? My answer to that is of course they can. There is no doubt that both Munro and Gaiman (and add multiple others here, sadly) are brilliant at their craft; regardless, it means nothing against the kind of people they have shown themselves to be. And so my next steps are easy enough.
I’ve found John Scalzi’s posts on Bluesky to be helpful in navigating the thoughts crowding my brain, many not arriving at any particular conclusion or potential solution. My sister read and loved his Starter Villain last year and recommended it to me, which is when he first came across my radar. He considered NG a friend and has since written this, where he discusses the point he knew the friendship was over for him, and how complicated the nature of it all can be. But the one I want to talk more about today is an older post from August 2024 that he reshared, and I urge you all to read it.
Please Don’t Idolise Me or Anyone Really
There is some solace that Good Omens, which I rank as one of my top books of all time, was written 75% or more by Sir Terry Pratchett, and so I’ll eventually be able to consider that wholly his work. The rest, not all of which I am personally attached to, I will mourn.
I’m still working through articulating everything I’m thinking and feeling, and so coherence is something I’ve given myself a pass on for this section of the newsletter. Nor is this a comprehensive look at every single angle of this sordid mess and its various intersections that I’ve been thinking about. For now, this is the best I can do (I’m not discounting the possibility of revisiting some of this in future issues). If you want to share, discuss, comment on any of it, I look forward to hearing from you!
Moving on!
Anu Recommends: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
I started this year on a fantastic reading note with two of the coziest sci-fi novellas by Becky Chambers, which I picked up on the first day of 2025 at new local independent fiction-only bookstore Fictionary, following a recommendation by a friend whose taste I trust. And they were exactly what I needed.
Speaking of which, I’m going to be trying something new over on my instagram in 2025 when it comes to reviews. Longer reviews will only be in this space going forward. Earlier, I used to post snippets or a large part of them also on my instagram grid. Now, there, I'll be sharing 55 word reviews of the books I read in the year—the one for these novellas is 110 words because I'm combining both novellas as it was easier that way 😅—as well as separate posts with favourite quotes from the books. I landed on 55 words because that was my very first published collection back in October 2015, and I thought it'd be fun to go back to the format, though these are reviews and not micro-stories!
In case you’re interested in those, you can follow me at @anushreenande. And here’s the reel for the micro-review below 😊 (reels are still a major work in progress for me—there are a bunch of areas I know I need to improve on and things I need to add in the next one, I will get there!)
The review in question:
What do humans need when basic material comforts are taken care of?
Dex is a travelling tea monk who was previously a garden monk before feeling an urgent need to leave the city. Splendid Speckled Mosscap is a robot, the first of his tribe to interact with a human since all the robots developed consciousness and moved away from civilisation. Their friendship and philosophical chats about existential matters are at the core of these two novellas.
Low on plot, high on comfort, but without shying away from the realities of any lived existence, surrender yourself to a quiet, contemplative, achingly hopeful and life-affirming story with two characters I'd follow anywhere.
Now, for the longer thoughts.
These novellas are set on the little moon of Panga. In the present day, the post-Awakening, the robots are more of a myth, their inexplicable gaining of consciousness and deserting their posts in an industrial world to go off into the wilds an urban legend. Humanity has since managed to bring itself and the planet back from the brink of collapse—this is a largely aspirational, tending towards utopia world where everyone and everything is as harmonious and inclusive as can be.
Enter Sibling Dex who is a garden monk. One day, they find themselves dissatisfied with this “never-ending harmony of making, doing, growing, trying, laughing, running, living” and gripped by “the idea of cricket song” which is not to be found within the bounds of the City he inhabits, along with so many others. So they embark on the life of a tea monk, travelling in a specially constructed wagon from village to village, ministering tea and solace to those who need it in the moment. As they figure out what it is that they themselves really want—even if that is to (literally) go off the beaten path.
“Everybody needed a cup of tea sometimes. Just an hour or two to sit and do something nice, and then they could get back to whatever it was.”
Enter Splendid Speckled Mosscap, a robot who has volunteered to return to humankind, upholding the long-ago promise of looking in and seeing how we are getting on. He comes armed with one deceptively simple question: what do people need? When he stumbles upon Sibling Dex in the wilderness, they decide to help each other. In the second novella, they return from the unchartered wilderness to the villages so that Mosscap can ask his question and gather the (wide spanning) answers.
What follows is a charming, utterly warm, gentle, healing journey that despite its cozy and philosophical nature has a wonderful way of embracing life’s complexities and the many non-joyful parts of human existence. These novellas are a fantastic example of how slim stories don’t necessarily mean a lack of depth or feeling, and of how simple doesn’t always equate with a lack of impact. The second is also a beautiful example of how an unresolved ending can still be heartmeltingly tender and hopeful (its emotional resonance is, in large part, because of how thoughtfully Chambers builds the friendship between the two).
The dedication for Psalm reads “For anybody who could use a break” and the one for Prayer “For anybody who doesn’t know where they’re going”. These stories more than live up to those lines and were the perfect way to kick off a new year’s reading adventures. I’ve been wanting to check out the author’s Wayfarer series, but now I know why I didn’t start there!
Chambers’ asks, in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
“Survival alone isn’t enough for most people. We’re more than surviving now. We’re thriving. We take care of each other, and the world takes care of us, and we take care of it, and around it goes and yet, that’s clearly not enough, because there’s a need for people like me. No one comes to me hungry or sick. They come to me tired, or sad, or a little lost. It’s like you said about the…the ants. And the paint. You can’t just reduce something to its base components. We’re more than that. We have wants and ambitions beyond physical needs. That’s human nature as much as anything else.”
Psalm*
Buy print | Buy ebook | Bookshop.org (US)
Prayer*
Buy print | Buy ebook | Bookshop.org (US)
(for those buying from the Indian print links above, there’s currently a Republic Day deal going on for both titles)
Let me know how all of you have been getting on and if you’ve found a new favourite book already this year. It has been a rough start to 2025 for much of the planet, but I hope, to take a leaf out of Stadio’s regular intro, that you’re all staying safe and well, and looking after yourselves as, when, and how you can.
From the archives
This one is a reminder that I never returned to my Character Studies series after its inaugural issue. Expect one soon-ish!
If you’ve enjoyed today’s issue, here’s a few things you can do:
click on the heart to like it
turn this into a conversation by leaving a comment below or dropping me a line via email, even just to say hi—I always love hearing from you 😊
share it with friends and family who might like to read it
And of course, send me your recommendations and tell me what you’d like me to write about next! Let me know what you’re currently reading and watching, send me rants/ramblings/excited monologues, GIFs and memes (especially them). 🤓
Take care and I’ll see you on February 2!
Anu
You can find me on Bluesky at @anushreenande (yep I finally created an account and I’m really enjoying it—my Twitter remains online so far but I’m not actively posting on there anymore) and on Instagram at @anushreenande. You can support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/anushreenande.
*the book buying links I share on here are affiliate links (barring the links for my own published work for which I will earn royalties instead), which means that if you make any purchases through those links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no additional cost to you.
I’m glad you discovered Becky Chambers. Reading her books is like snuggling up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea!