How to Get into the Twin Palms

Karolina Waclawiak swings hard for darkly comic and I thought she mostly connected. The world that her characters inhabit is deeply bleak - end times literature that holds up unfortunately well a decade later.

I think the part that fell flat for me was the set-up. There is some background provided in bits and pieces throughout the book - but it didn't feel sincere or clear why Anya is in Los Angeles, why she is floundering so hard, or why she is glomming on to this new/old community.

LA is a great backdrop for this feeling of unease and displacement, though. A huge sprawling city surrounded by mountains on fire. A place where a hotel might maintain a pool even though its covered in a thick layer of ash. Where the temple is either a glorified bingo hall (the church) or a bizarre homage to New York (the Twin Palms).

The scene that really resonated with me was Anya's attempt to connect with the firefighter. When she gets access to his room, she quickly scribbles out a list of her favorite things to do in town - go to this observation point, try this restaurant, etc.. I loved that this was her compulsion even as someone so lost and devoid of hope. It felt real - a shout to someone passing through town that her life is real, that she could experience joy.