Have you ever had a week where a certain idea, thought, or theme keeps cropping up in various situations? Let's call it conceptual synchronicity. It's been happening to me this past week. The idea of hobbies, pursuing passion, doing something just for the sake of it, has asserted itself in conversations, articles, and television. Given this conceptual synchronicity, I've been thinking about what I currently do and what I could be doing to have a little fun. This all began with my current Enthusiasm: This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch, by Tabitha Carvan.
As you may have guessed from the title, it is not a book about Benedict Cumberbatch. But if you're not convinced by the title and you're thinking that being a fan is a prerequisite to enjoying this book, I am here to assure you it is not. I've never seen Sherlock and have no particular feelings, positive or negative, about Benedict Cumberbatch. But I found This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch to be funny and thought provoking—as I said, its themes have been following me around since finishing the book.
The book is a memoir about the author's obsession with Cumberbatch, which developed late in life and quite unexpectedly. Or at least, that's what it's about at first: Carvan, abashed by this obsession, explores why **she, a happily married mother of two, is suddenly spending all of her spare time and energy rewatching movies and TV shows featuring Cumberbatch, reading Sherlock fanfiction, and looking at pictures of Cumberbatch on the internet. She's embarrassed and ashamed. But then she asks herself why. Her obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch brings her joy, she hasn't felt so engaged with something in years; why, she wonders, should she feel guilty about that? With this question posed, the book transforms from a memoir about a Cumberfan into an exploration of passion and joy and an excavation of why, historically, women have not been encouraged to pursue either.
If you need encouragement to pursue a hobby, prioritize what brings you joy, or unabashedly obsess over something (or someone) with the giddiness of a middle-school girl, I enthusiastically recommend you read This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch.
Emma Nichols co-owns the Norwich Bookstore with her partner, Sam Kaas. When not at the bookstore you’ll most likely find her reading books, baking bread, tinkering with spreadsheets, or pulling tarot cards.