Black Wave

 Michelle Tea's novel Black Wave revisits some familiar terrain of her memoirs. San Francisco in the 90s, queer arty druggy scenes. Her writing is insightful and funny and self reflexive. Even though nothing like my life, it is relatable some how. I would have loved this book if it had remained in this register. But something happens, there is the apocalypse. You see the inklings of this throughout, the environmental degradation. Little bleak background details. But when the character moves to LA, it ramps up. And the book opens up. There is a long end section where people retreat into a dream world and it so beautiful and sad and expansive. I loved this book.