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A review by llynn66
Miss Subways by David Duchovny
4.0
This is such a strange little book. Generally, in my lexicon, 'strange' is a positive adjectives. In the case of Miss Subways, it definitely is! When reflecting a bit about the story and beginning to formulate ideas about how to write a review, I became hung up on how to categorize this story. Is it fantasy? Yes. Is it a romance? Yes. Is it a parable about modern urban living? Yes. Is it of special interest to X-Files/David Duchovny fans? Yes, to a degree. Can it stand on its own merits outside of the fact that it was written by a well known actor? Very much yes.
So some readers will see Duchovny's name on the jacket and choose Miss Subways because they will wonder what one of their favorite actors wants to write about and some people will pick it up to find out if a Hollywood actor can write. Either way, they are in for an interesting dive into the unusual.
My only foray into mythology was back in my school days when the venerable Edith Hamilton collection was assigned regularly. I still own my tatty paperback copy but have not thought to read it in over 30 years. Thus my education in mythology is remote and limited to the Greek and Roman variety that was required reading in my school days. I know absolutely nothing of Celtic mythology and needed to Google Emer and Cuchullain to grasp even a basic understanding of the characters upon whom Duchovny based his protagonists in Miss Subways. (Already, I learn something new!)
Emer, in this reading, is a 40-something New York City schoolteacher whose life revolves around her work and the care of her elderly father, who suffers from dementia. When we first meet her in chapter one, she appears to have a certain level of contentment in her life, despite the toll that middle age can take. She has a steady relationship with her boyfriend, Con, and together they have formed a coupling that provides a balm to both the routine dullness and the tragedies that befall older adults. Like most New Yorkers, Emer takes the subway to work each day. While on her commutes, she passes the time reading the promotional information posted about the once popular Miss Subways contests that were sponsored by the NYC transit system. Regular subway riders, such as Emer herself, were selected to be 'Miss Subways' in montly (and later, bi-monthly) drawings. (Again, a new topic to study. As a midwesterner, I have never heard of this contest.)
Emer is charmed by the notion of Miss Subways and daydreams about being selected in a contemporary version of this contest. (By the way, the Miss Subways contest is returning and is now open to both genders!) Perhaps Emer does crave some recognition and glamor in her anonymous life.
More color and conflict will soon be supplied. In an early scene, Emer rushes to an event where Con (an academic who is less than fashionable, potentially because of his somewhat right-wing slant) is speaking. Con is speaking of mythology and old gods. He posits that the Judeo Christian dominance of the recent centuries on earth has been a positive force because it has kept the older and more capricious gods at bay....gods who suffer the same weaknesses and foibles as the humans they rule and who enjoy interfering in the lives of their subjects.
Con does not come home with Emer after his presentation. He is courted by some members of his audience, including a striking black woman named Anansi who shows a keen interest in Con's subject. Emer is somewhat threatened by the attention Anansi showers on Con, but feels guilty for her jealousy. She goes home alone and decides to have an early night with a bowl of ice cream and some Late Night viewing in bed.
Emer falls into a dream which is more vivid and real than any dream. Is it a vision? Is it a parallel reality? Is it reality itself? In this state, she is visited by a diminutive doorman named Sid/Sidhe. Sid shows her a vision of Con walking to the tavern with Anansi and her group. In this vision, Con is struck by a car and killed. Emer is given the choice: relinquish Con and her love for him and he lives. Attempt to retain Con in her life and the vision will come true, ending Con's life. As Sid tells Emer, "Con lives. Love dies."
Emer, of course, reluctantly chooses to let go of Con in order to save him. When she awakens in the morning, all presence of Con and their life together is erased. Her memory of him, on the other hand, is still clear. She feels Con as a presence that she should have...but, somehow does not. Thus Emer begins a new version of her life without her love. As she rides the subway alone knowing only the life of a single woman who has not had a relationship in years, she feels a certain lacking in her life. And she notices a man who also appears to notice her.
Miss Subways might be read as a straight up romance where two people are torn asunder and must endure trials to find their way back to one another. It may be read as a mad fantasy where various supernatural and mythological beings are alive and well and living in New York, messing with people either for fun or to keep some sort of cosmic scale balanced. (As mere mortals, we know not which.) In either case, Miss Subways is a smart and entertaining read that is often very funny and occasionally a little sad.
I have read that David Duchovny was working toward a PhD in literature when he was tapped for the role of Fox Mulder. It appears that he used his time well in class and that, had fate led him in a different direction, career-wise, he would have been an interesting teacher. As it is, it seems he has found a new creative outlet in writing and he has the knack for it. I will move on to Bucky F*cking Dent as I was also a seventies kid raised with the sound of baseball always somewhere in the background.
So some readers will see Duchovny's name on the jacket and choose Miss Subways because they will wonder what one of their favorite actors wants to write about and some people will pick it up to find out if a Hollywood actor can write. Either way, they are in for an interesting dive into the unusual.
My only foray into mythology was back in my school days when the venerable Edith Hamilton collection was assigned regularly. I still own my tatty paperback copy but have not thought to read it in over 30 years. Thus my education in mythology is remote and limited to the Greek and Roman variety that was required reading in my school days. I know absolutely nothing of Celtic mythology and needed to Google Emer and Cuchullain to grasp even a basic understanding of the characters upon whom Duchovny based his protagonists in Miss Subways. (Already, I learn something new!)
Emer, in this reading, is a 40-something New York City schoolteacher whose life revolves around her work and the care of her elderly father, who suffers from dementia. When we first meet her in chapter one, she appears to have a certain level of contentment in her life, despite the toll that middle age can take. She has a steady relationship with her boyfriend, Con, and together they have formed a coupling that provides a balm to both the routine dullness and the tragedies that befall older adults. Like most New Yorkers, Emer takes the subway to work each day. While on her commutes, she passes the time reading the promotional information posted about the once popular Miss Subways contests that were sponsored by the NYC transit system. Regular subway riders, such as Emer herself, were selected to be 'Miss Subways' in montly (and later, bi-monthly) drawings. (Again, a new topic to study. As a midwesterner, I have never heard of this contest.)
Emer is charmed by the notion of Miss Subways and daydreams about being selected in a contemporary version of this contest. (By the way, the Miss Subways contest is returning and is now open to both genders!) Perhaps Emer does crave some recognition and glamor in her anonymous life.
More color and conflict will soon be supplied. In an early scene, Emer rushes to an event where Con (an academic who is less than fashionable, potentially because of his somewhat right-wing slant) is speaking. Con is speaking of mythology and old gods. He posits that the Judeo Christian dominance of the recent centuries on earth has been a positive force because it has kept the older and more capricious gods at bay....gods who suffer the same weaknesses and foibles as the humans they rule and who enjoy interfering in the lives of their subjects.
Con does not come home with Emer after his presentation. He is courted by some members of his audience, including a striking black woman named Anansi who shows a keen interest in Con's subject. Emer is somewhat threatened by the attention Anansi showers on Con, but feels guilty for her jealousy. She goes home alone and decides to have an early night with a bowl of ice cream and some Late Night viewing in bed.
Emer falls into a dream which is more vivid and real than any dream. Is it a vision? Is it a parallel reality? Is it reality itself? In this state, she is visited by a diminutive doorman named Sid/Sidhe. Sid shows her a vision of Con walking to the tavern with Anansi and her group. In this vision, Con is struck by a car and killed. Emer is given the choice: relinquish Con and her love for him and he lives. Attempt to retain Con in her life and the vision will come true, ending Con's life. As Sid tells Emer, "Con lives. Love dies."
Emer, of course, reluctantly chooses to let go of Con in order to save him. When she awakens in the morning, all presence of Con and their life together is erased. Her memory of him, on the other hand, is still clear. She feels Con as a presence that she should have...but, somehow does not. Thus Emer begins a new version of her life without her love. As she rides the subway alone knowing only the life of a single woman who has not had a relationship in years, she feels a certain lacking in her life. And she notices a man who also appears to notice her.
Miss Subways might be read as a straight up romance where two people are torn asunder and must endure trials to find their way back to one another. It may be read as a mad fantasy where various supernatural and mythological beings are alive and well and living in New York, messing with people either for fun or to keep some sort of cosmic scale balanced. (As mere mortals, we know not which.) In either case, Miss Subways is a smart and entertaining read that is often very funny and occasionally a little sad.
I have read that David Duchovny was working toward a PhD in literature when he was tapped for the role of Fox Mulder. It appears that he used his time well in class and that, had fate led him in a different direction, career-wise, he would have been an interesting teacher. As it is, it seems he has found a new creative outlet in writing and he has the knack for it. I will move on to Bucky F*cking Dent as I was also a seventies kid raised with the sound of baseball always somewhere in the background.