ON​ ​PEACH​:

Yesterday​ ​on​ ​Peach​ ​we​ ​published​ ​“The​ ​Entire​ ​State​ ​of​ ​New​ ​Jersey,”​ ​a​ ​short​ ​story​ ​by​ ​the Philadelphia-based​ ​writer​ ​Kate ​Catinella.​ ​The​ ​story​ ​begins​ ​with​ ​the​ ​narrator​ ​receiving​ ​a​ ​text that​ ​says,​ ​“Do​ ​u​ ​want​ ​to​ ​get​ ​drinks?”​ ​from​ ​the​ ​state​ ​of​ ​New​ ​Jersey,​ ​and​ ​goes​ ​on​ ​to​ ​describe​ ​their date​ ​and​ ​subsequent​ ​trip​ ​to​ ​the​ ​home​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Jersey​ ​Devil.​ ​Cantinella​ ​uses​ ​eerie​ ​and​ ​magical language​ ​when​ ​describing​ ​the​ ​way​ ​her​ ​date​ ​made​ ​her​ ​feel:​ ​“Its​ ​fingernails​ ​tapping​ ​on​ ​my​ ​scalp gave​ ​me​ ​the​ ​chills,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​felt​ ​myself​ ​growing​ ​attached​ ​and​ ​afraid​ ​of​ ​the​ ​attachment​ ​all​ ​at​ ​once.” After​ ​a​ ​night​ ​with​ ​New​ ​Jersey​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Jersey​ ​Devil,​ ​our​ ​narrator​ ​admits​ ​to​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​state​ ​that she​ ​had​ ​a​ ​nice​ ​time.​ ​“I​ ​wasn’t​ ​sure​ ​if​ ​I​ ​should​ ​run​ ​off​ ​the​ ​boardwalk​ ​and​ ​try​ ​to​ ​scoop​ ​them​ ​up from​ ​the​ ​sand,”​ ​she​ ​writes,​ ​“or​ ​if​ ​I​ ​should​ ​let​ ​the​ ​wind​ ​take​ ​them​ ​out​ ​and​ ​sink​ ​them​ ​into​ ​the ocean.”

IN​ ​PRINT​:
Surveys​​ ​by​ ​Natasha​ ​Stagg

Semiotext(e)​ ​/​ ​Native​ ​Agents​​ ​/​ ​2016​ ​/​ ​176​ ​pages​ ​/​ ​novel

Natasha​ ​Stagg’s​ ​debut​ ​novel,​ ​​Surveys​,​ ​initially​ ​reads​ ​like​ ​strange​ ​look​ ​into​ ​world​ ​market research​ ​through​ ​the​ ​eyes​ ​of​ ​an​ ​uninterested​ ​and​ ​unbothered​ ​23-year-old,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​quickly becomes​ ​much​ ​more​ ​than​ ​that.​ ​Colleen​ ​doesn’t​ ​care​ ​about​ ​her​ ​job,​ ​doesn’t​ ​care​ ​about​ ​being stalked​ ​by​ ​her​ ​70-something-year-old​ ​neighbor,​ ​and​ ​doesn’t​ ​really​ ​care​ ​about​ ​the​ ​people​ ​in​ ​her life.​​“I​​ only​​ wanted​​ someone​​ to​​ worship​​ me,”​​ Colleen​​says.​​ Each​​ chapter​​ of​ S​​urveys​​​ is​​ the​​ name of​ ​a​ ​person​ ​or​ ​place​—Dad,​ ​Jewelia,​ ​Frank,​ ​Denver,​ ​etc.​—and​ ​although​ ​each​ ​chapter​ ​is technically​ ​about​ ​that​ ​person​ ​or​ ​place,​ ​Colleen​ ​doesn’t​ ​get​ ​beyond​ ​surface​ ​level​ ​with​ ​any​ ​of​ ​their stories.​ ​Stagg​ ​has​ ​this​ ​incredible​ ​way​ ​of​ ​writing​ ​a​ ​completely​ ​detached​ ​yet​ ​likeable​ ​character.​ ​To couple​ ​Colleen’s​ ​detachment,​ ​she​ ​becomes​ ​consumed​ ​by​ ​internet​ ​fame​ ​after​ ​getting “discovered​ ​by”​ ​Jim,​ ​an​ ​internet​ ​personality​ ​she​ ​then​ ​begins​ ​dating,​ ​and​ ​slowly​ ​devolves​ ​into​ ​an obsessive​ ​and​ ​jealous​ ​person.