Intimacies

Synopsis: Intimacies is a novel narrated by an unnamed, and somewhat mysterious heroine. She is a new interpreter at The Hague, responsible for the banal function of translating legal proceedings for extremely evil defendants: genocidal former heads of state. Kitamura does not reveal much about our narrator. She has come to The Hague via New York where her father just died after a long illness, and her mother has returned to Singapore. Her age and ethnicity are murky. She enters a relationship with Adriaan, and develops other friendships as well. Adriaan is separated from his wife, and leaves to sort things out with her, leaving our nameless heroine living in his apartment. The relationship slowly seems to unravel.

Review: It’s not unusual for me to select a book to read based on reviews and expert literary opinion. I heard so many people give this a positive review that I decided to give it a try. It was…. interesting, yet maybe disappointing too. It is highly character driven, but not much actually happens here. The word intimacy, intimacies, intimate appear in the text so many times it’s almost annoying. Yet, in spite of the purported intimacy, our unnamed narrator was so mysterious it was hard to connect with her plight. Her work as a translator for a man on trial for crimes against humanity is a forced intimacy, and troubling. Her chosen relationship with Adriaan is foundering. Once a few weeks elapsed after reading it, it was hard to even remember what it was really about. Weird. Enjoyable in the moment of reading, yet it didn’t really stick with me the way I think a great book should.

Rating: 3/5

Recipe: I think a dessert for one seems fitting for this book. This skillet brownie recipe from Ina Garten is perfect.

Ingredients

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces plus 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 extra large eggs

2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus one tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup plus one tablespoon flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

vanilla ice cream

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees

2) Melt the butter, 4 oz chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a double boiler, or in the microwave, then set aside for 15 minutes.

3) In a large bowl, mix the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

4) sift together 1/4 cup flour, the baking powder and salt, and add to the chocolate mixture.

5) Toss together the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon flour, then add to the chocolate mixture.

6) Spoon into five 3 1/2 inch skillets, or ramekins, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.

7) Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.