I was thinking that Emma Cline’s writing reminded me of Cat Power’s cover of “Satisfaction,” where she removed the parts that at first glance would seem like the important ones, the bits that make the song pop. Of course, being left only with the undercurrent, the meaning becomes at the same time so clear and so alien that it’s thrilling. Our friendship is also a bit like this. She lets me become comfortable and, after I have said everything there is to say about the return of the short Ugg boot, I remember that she was just awarded an O.Henry Prize and I am surprised to realize that I always feel free to be as stupid or as sharp as I want to be with her, and that she will welcome both.
