CZM Book Club: Ocotillo, by Madeline ffitch
Summary
Host Margaret Killjoy reads "Okotillo" by Madeline Fitch, a story about two friends on a doomed road trip through the American Southwest seeking a mythical plant cure. The narrative explores themes of chronic pain, social invisibility, and systemic oppression through the lens of a surreal encounter with police and a local family. Killjoy also promotes Fitch’s upcoming novel, *Avalon Rise*, and discusses the distinctions between literary and genre fiction.
Topics discussed
Sponsor reads: Airtasker, One Times Square, Fencing, Disney on Ice, Do More, TNA
Introduction to Madeline Fitch and her literary style
Story setup: The van breakdown and the quest for Ocatillo
At the mechanic's yard: Interactions with the mechanic and his son
Reflections on friendship, pain, and the search for a cure
Sponsor break: Airtasker and One Times Square
Sponsor reads: Fencing, Disney on Ice, Do More, TNA
In the desert: Searching for Ocatillo and observing the plaza
The coffee shop, ants, and the encounter with the kid
Sponsor break: One Times Square, Fencing, Disney on Ice, Do More, Kaizen Autosport
The Super 8: The kid's mother, Lars, and the numberless room
The jacuzzi, the goth girl video, and the free frappe
Finding the Ocatillo and the police circling the plaza
The confrontation: The kid, the police, and the storm
Transplanting the plant and driving into the storm
Discussion: Themes of borders, pain, and political gestures
Book promotion and closing remarks
Sponsor reads: Airtasker, One Times Square, Fencing, Disney on Ice, Do More
Final sponsor read: TNA Impact on AMC
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