« older | Main Largehearted Boy Page | newer »
September 1, 2021
Robert Repino's Playlist for His Novel "Malefactor"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Robert Repino skillfully wraps up his War With No Name series with the novel Malefactor, a book as exciting as it is satisfying.
In his own words, here is Robert Repino's Book Notes music playlist for his novel Malefactor:
Malefactor is the conclusion to the War With No Name series, which started in 2015 with Mort(e). That novel tells the story of a global war between sentient animals and humans (this bonus track might help you visualize it). In the aftermath of the conflict, a cat named Mort(e) searches for a lost friend, a dog named Sheba.
The sequel D'Arc is told mostly from Sheba’s perspective. Though Mort(e) expects her to be happy now that they are reunited, Sheba grows restless. She renames herself as D’Arc and begins a journey toward a new destiny, away from Mort(e).
In Malefactor, both dog and cat find find themselves lost. Mort(e) is dying of a mysterious ailment, while D’Arc is fighting to protect a new litter of puppies. Chaos surrounds them as an army of wolves threatens to restart the war with the humans. They may still have time to rescue each other, but it may be too late to stop the apocalypse.
What follows are the songs I would consider the soundtrack for the book. Some inspired me while I wrote, while others fit with a particular scene, character, or theme. Some very mild spoilers are included. I hope you enjoy it.
Previous playlists can be found here:
Ladytron, “Runaway”
When we first come across D’Arc, she’s at sea onboard the al-Rihla, on an expedition to make contact with communities bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the first mission of its kind since the war ended, and it points to a new future for human and animal alike. But D’Arc feels lost, regretting her decision to run away from the peaceful ranch where she and Mort(e) enjoyed their happiest years.
Strand of Oaks, “Shut In”
I needed this sad-sack anthem for Mort(e), who realizes his time is running out, and that he may never get to see D’Arc again. But being a trained warrior, he channels his sadness into a new, entirely unhealthy obsession. That is, keeping an eye on some shady characters who have recently arrived in his neighborhood, which leads to a violent confrontation.
LCD Soundsystem, “oh baby”
Malefactor introduces another example of forbidden interspecies love, for which I thought this song was appropriate. “Oh sugar / You came to me / Could all be a bad thing / And do you harm.” This time, a relationship forms between Mercy, the leader of a rogue wolfpack, and Augur, a human who was raised by wolves. Their relationship is also an alliance, for both of them stand to benefit from sabotaging the peace process between the human city of Hosanna and the loose confederation of wolves that roam the countryside. The clan elders forbid Mercy from consorting with feral humans, but as they quickly (and brutally) discover, she is no longer under their control.
Raury, “God’s Whisper”
The defiant chanting of this song, and its message of rising from the ashes, fits perfectly with Mercy’s pack of wolves. Victims of an ecological disaster and left for dead, they have now united the wolf clans for a final invasion of Hosanna.
Charles Bradley, “The World (Is Going Up In Flames)”
The husky Falkirk has now been promoted to captain of the airship Vesuvius, patrolling the borders of wolf country. This gives him a front row seat as Mercy’s pack begins its vengeful, bloody march to the capital. To make matters worse, he has received word that the al-Rihla has disappeared, along with D’Arc, the mother of his pups. There’s nothing he can do but watch everything burn. And, as Charles Bradley sings, “Nobody wants to take the blame.”
Nilüfer Yanya, “Crash”
This song’s feeling of spiraling helplessly felt appropriate for the character of Nikaya, a war criminal (and beaver matriarch) who is plotting her escape from a prison run by bats (it’s a long story). At the same time that her plan goes sideways, D’Arc crashes on a beach, dangerously close to wolf territory. Before long, she gets swept up in the madness, and Mort(e) and Falkirk have no choice but to follow.
mewithoutYou, "Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)"
Since the series takes place in the ruins of Philadelphia, I’ve included a local band here. “Julia” alludes to the work of George Orwell, who, um, may have inspired this series just a little bit. Talking animals, totalitarianism, and forbidden love, oh my.
Sponge, “Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)”
No book in this series would be complete unless one of the characters entered some desperate and bloody melee. In this case, D’Arc tries to turn the tables by going full berserker on the wolves. I imagine this song accompanying that scene. The weird lyrics are closely related to what’s happening, but I’d be spoiling things if I explained any further.
Mondo Cozmo, “Plastic Soul”
This is one of several songs that got me through the long drafting and editing process. Its lyrics describe the kind of love that transcends barriers, time, and even reincarnation, which seemed right for the series. Perhaps more relevant is the video, which is about the undying adoration between a dog and a cat. If you don’t cry watching it, check your pulse.
Father John Misty, “Ballad of the Dying Man”
I guess Mort(e) needs two sad-sack anthems. One thing I had to ask in this book is, can this anti-hero find redemption, with such a long trail of destruction in his wake? And the answer I kept coming back to was: probably not. And so I include this song, stuffed with regret, a lament of how Mort(e) is more interested in being right than in being loved.
Billy Bragg and Wilco, “Remember the Mountain Bed”
We close with a love song, written by Woody Guthrie, that incorporates the natural beauty of this continent with a deep longing and a peaceful melancholy. In the end, this series is mainly about characters who undergo a massive change, who fight for a new future, while idealizing a past that they can hardly remember. For some characters, redemption can only be found in moving forward into the light. But for others, the only choice is to go back to a simpler time, before the war, when the only thing that mattered was cuddling with your loved ones on a lazy afternoon.
Robert Repino grew up in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Peace Corps, he earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. His fiction includes short stories in The Literary Review and Hobart, as well as the middle grade series Spark and the League of Ursus. He lives in New York and works as an editor for Oxford University Press. Malefactor concludes the War with No Name series, and follows the novels D'Arc and Mort(e) and the novella Culdesac.
If you appreciate the work that goes into Largehearted Boy, please consider making a donation.
