This English professor finally got around to reading Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott’s classic book of advice about writing. In all honesty, when I read for fun I gravitate toward genre fiction–mysteries, detective novels, romance, etc. I like a good story. I was surprised, then, by how much I enjoyed just luxuriating in Lamott’s prose. It is by turns hilarious, touching, and, most importantly, honest. For example, she includes an entire chapter about professional jealousy that I at first found odd until I found myself relating to almost every single sentence. That is the experience of reading this book–having someone put into words the experiences you’ve had but never fully processed. And to me, that is the highest achievement of writing–putting to paper something that is equal parts unexpected and familiar, something that makes you say, “Yes! I know!” This book is incredibly quotable, but I’ll close with maybe my favorite–“Reality is unforgivingly complex” (which is why writing about it is so difficult and why moralistic writing often fails).
Ask Again, Yes is one of those books that is so much more than the jacket description or plot summary offers. The blurb would note that the story centers on two families who next door to each other in the New York suburbs and whose lives become intertangled. It reminded me somewhat of Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth in terms of how it follows young couples who become parents and whose children grow up and themselves become parents. I flew through this novel, despite the fact that its main themes are pretty heavy–mental health, substance abuse, marital fidelity, and abandonment. The aspect of this novel I appreciated most is the shifting allegiances the reader feels as they read, and how Keane opens new perspectives on characters we’ve already judged. The victims of trauma in this novel act out and make poor choices, and we understand and sympathize even as we acknowledge that those choices in turn hurt those closest to them.