Tethered

Any number of things, mostly of a serendipitous nature, bring certain books into focus—life being very much a kaleidoscopic succession. In this instance, Amy MacKinnon’s debut novel, Tethered, is adorned by a colorized version of Toni Frissell’s wonderful 1949 photograph “Lady in the Lake,” which I first encountered on the album cover of Undercurrents, the classic collaboration between pianist Bill Evans and guitarist Jim Hall. Now the photograph, shot underwater, shows a woman floating in a nightgown of sorts with most of her body below the water except for her mouth, nose, eyes and forehead. I am not sure whether the 1963 Evans/Hall album, which includes a wonderful version of “Skating in Central Park,” had emotional resonance with the photograph, but that is the connection I now see. I do find it to be a fascinating image... [read full story]