The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 – Bianca Sugunasiri, Arts and Entertainment Editor
This summer brought sun, sea, and the newest season of Jenny Han and Gabrielle Stanton’s show The Summer I Turned Pretty, perhaps more appropriately named ‘The Summer I Made Poor Decisions.’ Season 3 follows Isabel “Belly” Conklin’s (Lola Tung) ‘bridezilla’ moment as she tries to navigate wedding planning with her man-child fiance. By this point, after watching Belly ping-pong between the two brothers she grew up with while trying to detangle her feelings, you find yourself wondering how someone could possibly have such disregard for the emotions of those around her. Not to mention the playboy tendencies of Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) being continually questionable. And why can’t Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) simply let go of this girl who is causing him so much heartbreak and dissatisfaction? Despite none of the characters having particularly redeeming qualities, and actually seeming to regress in terms of character development, it nonetheless sparked visceral anticipation for every Wednesday night. Perhaps there is a certain comfort taken from watching young people falling in and out of love so messily. Ultimately, it is within that jumble of imperfection that brings viewers back every week.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong – Norah Adams, Staff Writer
As a university student cresting the wave from the former half of my degree into the latter, it is safe to say that I am experiencing my share of aimlessness. Ocean Vuong’s new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, offered a new perspective on aimlessness. The novel reframes youth not as a collection of regrettable actions but instead as an exploration of how one can grow from their mistakes. The novel centres around nineteen-year-old Hai—a drug-addled college dropout and first-generation American born to Vietnamese immigrants. It begins with him standing at a precipice, both literally and figuratively, atop a bridge in Connecticut contemplating suicide before his death is prevented by an elderly Lithuanian woman named Grazina. Throughout The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong’s protagonist discovers the act of giving himself grace, realizing that his choices and blunders do not define him. Vuong places an emphasis on the merit that relationships provide over the ostensible importance of typically commendable achievements. He prioritizes lesser explored dynamics such as intergenerational friendships, the bond between cousins, and workplace camaraderie. This novel, though spanning through the four seasons, stands out to me as a summer read. In a space where you have all too much time to ponder every mistake in the past and all of the possible misjudgements stretching ahead in your future, Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness offers a safe haven of love, second chances, and ultimately, forgiveness.
Think Of Mist by Dorothea Paas – Alexandra Lasser, Contributor
Dorothea Paas’s 2024 album Think Of Mist offers mesmerizing harmonies and touching lyrics. The album takes listeners on a journey through gentle vocals over the sound of a band unaccompanied by percussion. This choice transforms the album into a kind of meditation, perfect for the long summer days uninterrupted by the usual stress of assignments and exams. The tracks crescendo to the middle of the album with standout song “Made of Mist,” which consists of a progression of sung chords without lyrics. The acoustics she achieves with the slow-changing chords building on top of each other is reminiscent of a choir piece echoing through a large cathedral. The dissonant harmonies throughout the album reflect the vulnerability of her lyrics, and offer listeners an intimate portrait of her thoughts. The Toronto-based musician also released an instrumental version of the album in May where listeners are invited to focus on the band behind her, without lyrics stealing the focus away. Another remarkable song from the album is “Autumn Roses,” a deceptively upbeat piece that drifts between moods and tempos. While the artist has not yet seen widespread fame, her unique sound earned her a spot on The Polaris Music Prize Album Long List for the best of Canadian music.
