This month, we read another heartfelt book about characters dealing with terrible tragedy, and finding a way to go forward. This one had an even more tragic event than the last two — a mass shooting event in a small town. We are the Light by Matthew Quick is a compelling read (or listen, in my case), especially once you reach about the halfway point — you care about these characters, and want to know what becomes of them and their movie project.

The story is told through the lens of Jungian analysis, which is not something anyone in our group has experienced, and it contains a lot of discussion about male energy and toxic masculinity, and dives deep into the relationships and internal feelings and thoughts of several male characters along the way.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any drinks in this book for us to feature in our discussion (the author mentions in this interview with Skylark Bookshop that he went sober a few years ago, so I’m not surprised). So, I improvised.

I did manage to come up with one classic cocktail with a name that seems to suit this book. The Fallen Angel appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book with the comment “It has never been made quite clear as to whether this is intended to be taken by the Angel before or after falling; as an encouragement or as a consolation.”

Fallen Angel
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
2 Dashes Creme de Menthe (1/12 oz Giffard Menthe Pastille)
the Juice of 1 Lemon or 1/2 Lime (3/4 oz fresh lemon juice)
1 Glass Dry Gin (1-3/4 oz North Shore Gin No. 6)
(I added 1/2 oz Plain Simple as well a few drops of saline solution, taking Difford’s Guide’s recommendations)
Shake with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel or a mint sprig, or both.

The other drinks I served wit the book were a delicious grapefruit rum punch (with a grapefruit oleo saccharum) and a whiskey sour variant with some fresh summer herbs. I like to mix up the base spirits and styles/types of cocktails each month, to keep it interesting.

We had a good discussion about the book; most of us liked it, but a few in the group had some gripes, mostly about the abundant discussion of toxic masculinity and male energy. A few of us found the Jungian analysis/Jungian philosophy discussions a bit much as well. According to that video interview, Mr. Quick is a Jungian devotee, and credits Jungian analysis with changing his life, so it makes sense for him to include it in his novel.