July 20, 2004
Book Bites #1
I’ve read at least three-dozen memoirs over the last three years, in order to learn how to write my own. I didn’t think I could stomach one more when I picked up Alison Smith’s ”Name All the Animals” in an airport bookstore. Twenty pages in and nearly late for my fight, I bought it. It proved to be much more than a satisfying airplane read.
“Name All the Animals” is the story of how adolescent Alison recovered from her brother’s sudden death and discovered her lesbian sexuality simultaneously. The trick is, the action of the book is contained within two or three crucial years, which unfold with the momentum of a novel. Grieving is a hazy process, but somehow Smith puts her finger on every step within it. And instead of explaining those moments intellectually, she brings them alive as rich scenes.
In interviews, Smith has said she treated Tobias Wolff’s “This Boy’s Life” as her memoir-writing bible. I took Wolff as my own model two years ago, and while reading Smith I could see how she absorbed his lessons. In doing so, she passed her structural insights on (I hope) to me: I thought of Smith’s book often last week while making a last round of revisions. “Name All the Animals” makes my top five list of memoirs.
Posted by Rachel at July 20, 2004 04:56 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
