‘Take What You Need’ by Idra Novey   (2023) – 240 pages

The previous novel by Idra Novey, ‘Those Who Knew’, was overtly political, and I loved it. ‘Take What You Need’ is more about the personal struggle to create art and only occasionally gets political.

“Let’s say the country cracks as well, the floor gives way to a new era, or at least the prospect of one. We watch hordes of armed people storming one of the most important government buildings in the country. Their faces appear on the news while I’m making a frittata. One of the first heavily armed people arrested is from Sevlick.”

Our main character here, Jean, is in her mid-sixties and has lived in Sevlick, West Virginia in the Allegheny mountains her entire life. Jean is the estranged stepmother of Leah. Jean was married to Leah’s father for only a few years, but those were Leah’s childhood formative years. Leah has gone off and made a family and a decent life for herself, but she still occasionally wonders about Jean.

Jean lives alone in the old ramshackle house that was her parents’ home when she was a kid. Jean’s father was a welder, and she as a kid would go out to the garage and watch him weld. She took up welding later in life to create large works of art.

“It never occurred to me that the secret release I saw him find under the cover of his helmet might be the best gift he didn’t intend to give me.”

Her obsession is creating huge metal sculptures created from old discarded pieces of metal. She calls these sculptures, her Manglements.

Her metal art has never attracted much interest, but Jean persists in her art.

“A real artist has to fail and fail and still go on.”

Her metal sculptures are so large, they would have to dismantle her house to remove them

Her Sevlick neighborhood has gone downhill. A mother and her two teenage children have moved next door, and since the city has disconnected their water the mother asks if they can take some of Jean’s water to use. The teenage boy Elliot comes up each morning to get the water, and Jean asks his help in moving the large pieces of metal she needs for her sculptures. Elliot does become interested in what Jean is doing, and an unusual relationship develops between them.

Meanwhile the estranged stepdaughter Leah finally comes to visit and is taken aback by Jean’s eccentric life.

I won’t go into any more details of the plot. Let’s just say there is definitely a political angle to ‘Take What You Need’ as well as the predominant artistic angle.

The author Idra Novey makes no attempt to prettify the small West Virginia town of Sevlick or to prettify the people who live there. Instead the author conveys the ugly vicious white supremacist attitudes of many of the young guys in the town. That honesty is refreshing.

Grade:   A

´Those Who Knew’ by Idra Novey    (2018) – 248 pages

´Those Who Knew’ is a modern political drama about the never-ending liberal struggle against homegrown fascism, racism, and oppression.  It takes place on an unnamed island in the South which had been ruled by a ruthless dictator named Cato who had been propped up by a powerful northern country (US?).  A progressive movement, in part led by radical college students, had been successful in ousting Cato several years ago. One of the college student leaders, Victor, is now a Senator and may soon run for President.   

Lena is one of Victor´s ex-girlfriends.  She hears that Victor´s current girlfriend Maria P. has been killed after being run over by a bus.  Lena recalls a time when Victor almost choked her to death in his uncontrolled anger, and now she suspects that Victor perpetrated the death of Maria P.

´Those Who Knew’ is a politically intense and realistic story.  One of its many pleasures is its cast of offbeat characters. There is the elderly radical Olga who is Lena´s best friend and who runs a used bookstore as well as a marijuana business on the side.  There is also Victor´s brother Freddy who is a gay playwright. Lena´s current boyfriend Oscar is from the North and likes to cook meals and desserts for his friends.

The author Idra Novey relies on diverse means of telling her story, and these changes in approach and tone kept this reader enthused.   The chapters are usually very short, and the story is told from the points of view of various characters. Also the narration takes several forms including entries from Olga´s makeshift log and short scenes from Freddy´s plays.  The variety of narrators and narrative forms keeps one interested in the proceedings.  

The progressives here are fighting against the slick well-organized corruption and oppression of the rich and powerful.  The progressives are a motley unruly crew of offbeat individuals, but isn’t that usually the case? Those who believe in personal freedom usually practice personal freedom in their own lives, while the fascists who wish to limit the lives of others usually live limited oppressive lives themselves.

One of the continuing problems for the Left is that some of their own trusted leaders can turn ruthless and authoritarian as they become enamored of their own power. 

The battle between liberalism versus fascism has become more intense as fascism has spread again over large parts of the world.   After World War II, most of the world realized that the next war could destroy life on Earth, so they took moderate steps to prevent that from happening.  However today world leaders seem to have forgotten the 60 million people who were killed in World War II, and now all Hell is breaking loose again.

´Those Who Knew’ takes place on an unnamed island, ¨this fascist-hearted country of ours¨, but this island represents our entire world.

Grade:   A+