ookCourt threw a launch party this evening to celebrate the release of Siri Hustvedt’s new novel The Summer Without Men and sister Asti Hustvedt’s new book, Medical Muses: The Culture of Hysteria in Nineteenth Century Paris. Both read from their respective works (Asti went first), then they talked a bit, and finally they opened it up for questions. Both women were lovely, knowledgeable, and informative, and the overlapping themes in their books definitely allowed for a better discussion. Oh and did I mention, Paul Auster (husband of Siri Hustvedt) was in attendance? He was sitting just an arm’s length away from me.

But today I learned something, something very important: Siri Hustvedt is pretty freakin’ funny! I had gone into BookCourt today with the misguided impression that somehow she wouldn’t be, that she would be all SERIOUS BUSINESS. But she wasn’t! She read with enthusiasm and inflection (not all authors are particularly good readers of her work) and her facial expressions were hilarious. When she opened up the floor to questions, she looked a bit like AWESOME FACE. Her sister Asti was a bit more reserved, a very different personality from her sister but no less engaging. Asti reminded me more of myself, so when I say she was more reserved, I don’t mean that in a disparaging way, but there definitely was a difference in approach between the two of them.

I felt kind of bad getting The Summer of Men signed because I didn’t buy a copy of Medical Muses to have signed as well. Now I didn’t buy The Summer of Men either but only I know that. It would’ve been nice to be able to engage Asti Hustvedt as well because her book sounds interesting. I took a class on the history of psychiatry (two classes in fact, similar though not identical) so this is definitely something I’m familiar with. Ah well, I will eventually borrow it from the library or purchase it once the book buying ban has been lifted. Until then, I’ll just content myself with the other Hustvedt sister.