I think part of Mr. Locke’s downfall was that he forgot the old adage that “Knowledge is Power.” He learned only about the uses of inanimate objects — the mask, the feather, etc. — but did not study the cultures from which he stole. If he had, he would have known exactly what January was doing when she began to write her escape. Instead, he says in puzzlement, “Is that how you do it? Some sort of magic ink?” He had the most powerful “artifact” of all living under his roof for 17 years and didn’t even realize it. If he had taken the time to learn about word-workers — rather than just grabbing items and closing fractures — he would have recognized January’s gift immediately.
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I think perhaps certain items lose their spiritual resonance when they are on display at a museum. I love museums and do think that there is a strong effort today to educate the public about the source of an item on display and explain its significance. But it’s hard to re-create the visceral response that religious items caused in those who originally revered them.
For example, let’s say I was transported into a future world that had absolutely no experience with Catholicism, to a musuem where a chalice of consecrated hosts was on display along with an explanation of transubstantiation. On an intellectual level, the museum-goer might recognize its importance, but it wouldn’t match what a devout Catholic would feel about seeing the body of Christ on display – and the accompanying dismay that it was being studied, but not venerated.
As for Mr. Locke’s collecting methods (theft), here’s an interesting New York Times article about coming to terms with past thefts: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/travel/museums-stolen-art.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KVA.2g1n.U9J0dLSyOeBr&smid=url-share
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@HImom posted a long interview with Alix Harrow above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV7KmYcWp6o
Today I put in my earbuds, started my Saturday chores and listened to the whole thing. It was really interesting, and in many ways clarifying (about the author’s intent — plot choices made, character creation, world-building hurdles, etc.). Also, Alix Harrow herself is very charming and funny — it was pleasant to spend an hour with her.
She says about The Ten Thousand Doors of January:
“I think of it as a portal fantasy that slightly undermines portal fantasies. It’s more about our world than it is about the other world, more about home-going than it is about escape.”
Harrows has a masters in history, with a thesis on cultural imperialism in children’s literature. Much of those academic studies worked their way into the novel – not just the imperialism part, but also the writing style: She has been told that the novel has a crossover appeal to a YA audience.
On writing a character with a marginalized background, Harrow says:
“Since this is a podcast, I want to make it clear to your listeners: I am very white. I do not share January’s experiences at all. This is not ‘own voices’ in any sense. If you are a reader who wants to support and engage with readers of color, totally just skip my book.” She then recommends (in place of her own novel) works by Rivers Solomon, Tasha Suri, and Phenderson Djèlí Clark.
Harrow goes on to say that although she studied social construction of power and race, she "did not have the practical lived experience — the emotional heart of that”. Therefore, she consulted with others who did have such experiences; she also had sensitivity readers for her drafts, and read historical memoirs by women of color, especially those who had been raised in privilege.
(I was struck by the contrast between Harrow’s thoughtful and self-deprecating analysis of her role as a white writer with non-white characters, and Joyce Maynard’s defensiveness when faced with similar observations about The Bird Hotel.)
Harrow also recognized the flaws in the pacing of Ten Thousand Doors (“just look on Goodreads,” she says 
). It was something she worked hard on, but could never quite perfect. She credited her editor and her beta readers for many pacing and structural improvements from the original draft.
Anyway, the podcast was well worth the listen — thanks @HiMom. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the author and the book – thanks @Marilyn.
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My pleasure, @Mary13!
Perhaps I will try that podcast sometime although I do much better reading than listening. I admit I end up reading YA books occasionally because I read a lot of romantasy, so maybe that’s why I enjoyed it. I felt pulled into January’s thought process. I felt the book had a lot of layers and sensitivity.
Continuing with the connection to Doctor Who, he always hopes that “everyone lives” which is so often not the case. It seems like just about everyone we want to live, does live for a change. January, Samuel, Julian, Adelaide, Jane, Bad, even Aunt Lizzie.
Although I guess it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, at least it was more about love than hate for the Valentine’s Day month selection! 
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I’m glad you put Bad in that list because his survival was important to Alix Harrow. 
She says in the podcast that she was always distressed in her youth by YA books where the dog dies in the end.
“I just want to give you all a free spoiler, which is that the dog makes it, okay? I will never have a dog in a book that doesn’t make it; that is not who I am … There is mild dog-related peril, but that’s it.”
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@Mary13 As a side note about the fate of dogs in books, our daughter’s MIL will NEVER read a book about a dog that dies. She and I have lunch occasionally and usually end up talking about books we’ve read/are reading. When I mention a book I enjoyed that she hasn’t read, the first question she asks is, “Is there a dog in the book? If so, does the dog die?”
Lol, that sounds just like my daughter! She consults this website before watching a movie:
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Catching up on reading all the comments. You guys are having a great discussion. Thanks!
Thanks for the Does the Dog Die link! I am very happy that Bad lived, but it did seem unlikely that men with guns and anger would not be able to kill the dog. Maybe it is because January wrote "She and her dog were inseparable from that day forward." in her book.
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Also Julian and Ade lived, as did Julian’s parents.
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This was my list; I did think of adding Julian’s parents but we didn’t spend much time with them.
Really, the only person to meet a gory end was Theodore Havemeyer. And even though it was kind of icky, I appreciated that Harrow emphasized the time and difficulty involved in burying his body. (I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that one of my pet peeves is books with characters either burying or digging up bodies in a matter of just a few minutes.)
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We can start thinking about our April choice at any time.
I feel we have something of a conundrum. It seems to me that the books that people most want to read and discuss are the new releases, but the new releases are hard to get. And if we wait until they are not hard to get, too many of the group has already read them.
I’m open to anything. Our list of finalists sort of acts that way – often there are titles suggested one or two or three months prior that finally get chosen. But it’s nothing official because what people are in the mood for can vary from month to month.
I like the book selection process where everyone puts forward suggestions for the next book. It is interactive and more dynamic than having a list of pre-selected books. So it is difficult now with changes in the library systems.
Something has changed with our system and Libby is taking longer as well. I try to put all the finalists on my list early but lately this hasn’t been working well enough. I’m still waiting for the current book.
My suggestion for April is “All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker. It was enjoyable with plenty of material to discuss.
I was able to read the book last month after an 8 month wait on Libby. Not sure if it has been suggested here earlier as I am avoiding previous book discussions if I haven’t read the book.
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It is interesting to me that so many of my favorite authors of what is commonly known as “genre fiction” studied history. (Barbara Hambly, C. S. Harris, Arkady Martine)
Just finished “Fo I Know You?” by Sadie Dingfelder. It’s a fascinating book about sight, memory and imagination. I think it would be a change in genre, as it’s nonfiction.
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I agree. I bet that most of us have a long list of books we’ve wanted to read but haven’t for whatever reason. I enjoy finally crossing them off the list when they get chosen for one of my book clubs. Over the years, it’s also been fun to explore books that have less of a buzz when released; call them overlooked gems. I know we’ve had more trouble lately picking titles of interest. I think we need to stray off the beaten path somewhat. Goodreads - and others - sometimes have a list that encourages doing that.
Anyway, I’m good with whatever the decision may be. I trust @Mary13 to make it work.
Here are a few of the previous finalists, if they still generate interest:
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
My Friends by Frederik Backman
The Unseen World by Liz Moore
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Sitting here looking at a January People Magazine. On the page “The Best New Books” it lists Wreck Your Heart. It has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. And I can get the hardback. E and Audio don’t have a super long wait at this time.
That’s just my library; I have no idea re other libraries. Just curious?
From Publishers Weekly: “Rader-Day excels at conjuring the sights and sounds of her Chicago setting, and Dahlia is a spunky, unforgettable heroine. The result is a consistently surprising mystery that readers will be hard-pressed to put down.” (Note that I know nothing about the book other than what I’ve just mentioned. Just happened to see it mentioned as I sat here.)
Of the three @Mary listed, I’m least interested in The Unseen World. Thumbs up for @AnAsmom’s suggestion: All the Colors of the Dark. Like @mathmom’s suggestion of genre authors: C.S. Harris What Angels Fear is the first in a series and easy to get (maybe - I’m just looking at my library system.)
and that’s the extent of my input. I’ll read what’s chosen eventually; March will be a month of limited reading here.
There were a lot of raves for The Correspondent in the CC Best book I’ve read in the last six months, I’d definitely be up for reading it.
I’d also be interested in reading Eva Luna or The Stories of Eva Luna. (I think you can read the stories without having read the novel that introduces her.)
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Meant to add thumbs up for The Correspondent or My Friends.