Abigail Savitch-Lew

Friends: I used to say that spring was my favorite season – flowers, my birthday, mild weather, etc. But maybe it’s actually summer, because summer is when New York stinks. And I mean that in a good way: it’s when we humans, like our pets, can navigate the city by nose, and when the rich texture of our city is experienced intimately on every block corner.

There was a passage about olfaction cut from the final draft of Livonia Chow Mein. It was from Lina’s perspective, as she reflects on all she adores about Brownsville:

The smells—that’s what Lina loved most. Outside Payless, the stench of garbage with an aftertaste of Converse. Then on Rockaway: car exhaust with a hint of marijuana, an aftertaste of Chanel. Dumont: grass and oak tree, mixed with construction dust.

But really, if you want a book where scent is not just an expendable sidenote but more like a character – where scent haunts, destroys, and drives people to desperate acts, you should come hear P.C. Verrone read from his absolutely remarkable and unparalleled debut novel Rabbit, Fox, Tar. I’ll be serving as his conversation partner for his Brooklyn event at Café Con Libros bookstore (Thurs July 16, 7 pm – RSVP HERE). I keep telling people it’s “Toni Morrison set in 2026” and I mean that. You won’t want to miss it!

Also, if you are based in Connecticut or Rhode Island (or know folks who are) I’ll be touring there with Livonia Chow Mein this August:

THURSDAY AUGUST 13, 6:30 PM – River Bend Books in West Hartford, CT (RSVP link forthcoming)

SATURDAY AUGUST 15, 3 PM – BBQ & Book Party for Immigrant Justice in Bristol, RI (for every book sold, $15 goes to Dorcas International. RSVP to natalietarr5@gmail.com)

If you missed it:

• My complete interview with CBS Club Calvi can be watched here.

• On Instagram, I posted pictures from June, including from my Harvard Books reading with Michelle Min Sterling and from our panel on Brooklyn community control movements at the Center for Brooklyn History

Thank you everyone! Keep smelling.

Love,
Abby