Like many publishers in NYC, Beaufort Books is still without power and has not had any this entire week. Please bear with us as we work to get everything in order. Hurricane Sandy, the frankenstorm of “biblical proportions,” has left the northeast not only scrambling but also truly befuddled, considering the extent of the damage, especially in regards to subways for us New Yorkers. Beyond just subway cancellations, I hope everyone is safe and that no irreparable damage has occurred as a result of this storm.
Lower Manhattan in the dark
I was one of the lucky ones — having power at my apartment throughout this entire experience; however, for those of you who had to experience power outages, interesting things can happen when all the distractions, media, electricity, etc. vanishes and you are left to rely upon “archaic” activities. For some of us dorks in the publishing world, losing electricity can be a little exciting because now we don’t have distractions – reading is all we have left to do (Of course, excitement quickly dissipates after a day or so).
It seems like, though, writers across all genres have utilized this theme or motif – that when electricity ceases to exist, certain fundamental things happen. One of my favorite short stories titled “A Temporary Matter” by Jhumpa Lahiri does this – a couple stricken by the tragedy of losing a baby only come to terms with the truth of their ruined marriage when the lights go down. Paradoxically, the lack of light illuminates the truth for this couple.
Into The Forest by Jean Hegland explores the tension between civilization and nature.
Likewise, the apocalyptic novels and stories come in-abundance such as The Stand by Stephen King in which a lack of electricity does not just equate to evil – it leads to the resilience of human beings and their need to survive. A lesser-known book, Into the Forest by Jean Hegland, depicts two sisters who must face adulthood as a result of losing electricity; with this particular novel, electricity/technology/industry actually becomes genderized, leading to bigger questions about the tension of electricity versus the forest.
There are dozens more books/novels/plays, etc. that explore this theme or central tension. That’s not to say that there is anything positive about losing electricity and the horrible atrocities connected with a superstorm like Hurricane Sandy, but it is to say that losing electricity can be a time that many people (or characters) begin to face deeper truths about themselves that, otherwise, electricity distracts them from.
-Breaking Beau