The Vulnerables
Issue 18: Sigrid Nunez’s Book Inspires Empathy For The Human Condition
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Introduction:
Since having covered a fictional story on isolation, I came across The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez shortly thereafter. Nunez describes the narrator’s life during the 2020 pandemic in a contemplative way in this novel. It reads as a direct connection to the intimate thoughts of the narrator and I found it interesting how her observations on small events in her day-to-day life were met with such deep thought.
They seem charged with reflection as she mused over the state of the world, her life, relationships and her day-to-day activities. It seems as though this state of limbo in the pandemic atmosphere intensified the unpredictable behaviour of those in her surroundings. This read is not just relatable, but also keeps the reader suspended in the moment with the speaker as we journey through the motions with her.
This book is a great successor to last week’s book pick, as I Who Have Never Known Men was a fantastic science fiction story on what it means to be stripped away from your humanity. In this week’s book, though, we’re reminded that the fictional stories may not be too far off from our reality. Although Nunez’s protagonist can be perceived as privileged, she does experience a sense of vulnerability as the world experiences a collective trauma.
In this email we’ll cover:
The Book of The Week
Quotes and Questions to Reflect On
Insights and Inspiration
Closing Remarks
“The reason love is so painful is that it always amounts to two people wanting more than two people can give.” - Sigrid Nunez, The Vulnerables
What’s New?
Book of the Week:
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez
Genre:
Fiction/ Memoir
Synopsis:
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez is an account of the 2020 Pandemic experience. During her time, the narrator remained in New York City and found herself acting as a caretaker for a parrot. The parrot’s owner is an acquaintance that had found herself in California due to travel restrictions, and with the parrot’s original caretaker having left, requested the narrator to step in.
The bird becomes a symbol of her connection to life, as caring for it reveals how deeply animals are capable of forming emotional bonds. The clear connection between humans and animals. The protagonist contemplates her life, relationships and ideas in this book in broad and non-linear ways, making this a read worth exploring.
The book also touches on the more vulnerable communities of people. The people during that time that didn’t have the benefit of living in a penthouse for the duration of the pandemic - such as those of lower middle class or lower, and also those within a certain age demographic. The book touched on several considerations, such as how various communities may have survived this time. Although it isn’t prominent in the book, it definitely surfaces with poignancy when it does.
Why We Love It:
The protagonist contemplates the various aspects of her life during what seemed like an endless pandemic. Nunez’s book includes a variety of thoughts and ideas that she expands on. It’s not only a reflective read, but the reflection itself reminds me of the way in which I thought over that period too. She takes the reader along on her own inner journey, and thereby allows us to go along with her through the motions. The pandemic became a time of dramatic change and put people in a position to consider their circumstances and find ways to reconnect with life, which if you’re reading this book later, serves as a reminder of that time.
During this collective experience, I felt as though there was suddenly all this room to unpack previous thoughts and experiences, but also to consider more deeply our own surroundings. There was a need to not only reflect but to re-establish some sense of normalcy, but for some time some people may have wondered how to. Although we were going through the experience altogether, the experience certainly varied depending on several big factors; such as age, ethnicity, travel restrictions, healthcare access, location etc.
This is a great book to read now that that period of time has long since passed. It’s as though our minds have had the time to regain clarity and also think about these factors through the lens of consideration rather than trauma. Although we may perhaps not be able to have direct influence, this is a great time to increase our awareness if we haven’t done so already. It’s a great time to ask how we can cultivate stronger connections to one another, despite that period of time having passed. For me, it was about leaning into art.
Key Message:
Although the book may not explicitly say so, my interpretation from this read centered around connection. Whether it be to animals or other people, our connection to others is such an essential part of the human condition. It is what motivates us, keeps us level-headed, and is absolutely necessary for our overall brain health. Connection requires a deeper understanding of one another though. It requires empathy.
Empathy is a little more than sympathy, in that the word describes our ability to see through the eyes of another. Empathy requires emotional intelligence and an ability to take our fellow human beings into consideration. Our understanding of the other is rooted in our ability to comprehend their emotions, and thereby resonate with their circumstances.
Within days the pandemic shifted our freedom of movement, our relationship dynamics, our sense of security, and impact our finances. Many aspects of our day-to-day lives that perhaps we’ve grown to take for granted had been stripped away from us. Suddenly, our ability to connect is restricted, especially when we need it the most. Despite our modern technological approach to our world currently circumstances, it cannot replace our need for direct human connection.
A constant among humanity is our desire to connect to one another, and in my world, the best way to share our perspective is through the lens of art. During this time the contrast between maintaining physical distance and longing for connection with others was profound. Profound enough that many artists took center stage as a result. Artists are some of the greatest empathisers to humanity, as it’s paramount to the work. So it’s no wonder that the world turned to music, art, film and books to connect in some way.
It showed me how important our avenues to understanding people really are, and that art is essential to humanity.
Quotes and Questions To Reflect On
Quote of the Week:
“Only when I was young did I believe that it was important to remember what happened in every novel I read. Now I know the truth: what matters is what you experience while reading, the states of feeling that the story evokes, the questions that rise to your mind, rather than the fictional events described. They should teach you this in school, but they don’t.”
Sigrid Nunez, The Vulnerables
Reflection Questions:
How does the book resonate with, or differ from, your own lockdown experience?
The narrator is somewhat older than Vetch, whom she resides with during lockdown. She writes an honest account of her thoughts in this book. Were there any contrasting opinions that you had when reading her words?
Knowing that human connection is a vital part of life, what will you do in life to connect more with your surroundings?
Art (whichever medium) can be a portal into the creator’s point of view. What were some of your favourite pieces that helped you maintain a sense of connection throughout the pandemic?
Article on The Book:
Chicago Review of Books writes up an interview with Nunez on her work.
Insights and Inspiration
Author Spotlight:
Sigrid Nunez
Background:
Sigrid Nunez is an Asian American author who has written seven novels to date. Her work as a writer extends further to journals which she has contributed to for The New York Times, The Paris Review, Harper’s and more acclaimed media organisations. In addition she has also taught at institutions such as Columbia, Princeton, and Boston University.
Other Works:
A Feather On The Breath of God
Last of Her Kind
Beyond the Book:
Closing Remarks
“The Vulnerables” by Sigrid Nunez is a book that embodies the period of time we all had to endure. The book is a reflection on our thought process and the way in which we underwent the emotional and pyschological states while being in a state of limbo. Following up from last week’s “I Who Have Never Known Men,” I thought that this was a version of isolation that was much more grouded in possibility. As we follow the narrator’s experience throughout the book, it’s easy to feel the similarities that we may have undergone in real life.
The story touched on several important considerations in the meantime as well. These aspects of our society may have otherwise gone unnoticed for the majority of us had we not had the time or perhaps would have been more focused on our day-to-day lives. In some regards, it gave us that opportunity to pay attention to necessary shifts that needed to be addressed in our society, such as BLM. Although it was uncomfortable, and in many regards caused a lot of grief/ loss for many, this period of time was an opportunity to be inspired for change.
The pandemic was a period of quiet, followed by a period of inspired impact due to our attention being directed in the right places. As people, I believe that when we have the opportunity to create better, as long as we’re not distracted, we will create it. I think we all have something to offer the world, whether that be through art, spreading awareness, or bringing people together. We’re all capable of creating our desired outcomes when we put our minds to it. Whether we’re reading last week’s book, or this week’s “The Vulnerables,” I think both reads can point to people’s desires to create a better world.
Until Next Time!
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Keep living life on your terms.
Warm regards,
June Tara
Founder of Spark Siren