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A review by allisonjpmiller
For the Time Being by Annie Dillard
4.0
Annie Dillard delivers a series of stark observations here – about people, life, death, God, and anything else related to the mystery of our sentience – by forming a pattern out of scattered thoughts (both her own and other people's). Sometimes her writing reads like it's drawn straight from a notebook, where everything has been documented in short bursts. Sometimes she allows herself to develop longer trains of thought that turn into beautiful vignettes. In both cases, she's a master of clear, concise writing that cuts deep.
If there's a one-line theme I can pick out of the entire book (a difficult feat), it's this: "Many people cannot tolerate living with paradox." And yet, as Dillard so deftly shows in the structure of her own book, paradox is impossible to avoid if we're facing the world and ourselves honestly. We must learn to embrace it and live with the tension.
I love how Dillard weaves in ideas and teachings from philosophers and religious groups around the world – always finding the common thread among them that rings out the same note when plucked. The anecdotes she relates from her experiences visiting the Holy Land (alone) give many sections of the book an eerie, transporting quality.
One of my favorite quotes: "For Tillich, God's activity is by no means interference, but instead divine creativity - the ongoing creation of life with all its greatness and danger. I don't know. I don't know beans about God." That's when I knew I could trust this woman.
If there's a one-line theme I can pick out of the entire book (a difficult feat), it's this: "Many people cannot tolerate living with paradox." And yet, as Dillard so deftly shows in the structure of her own book, paradox is impossible to avoid if we're facing the world and ourselves honestly. We must learn to embrace it and live with the tension.
I love how Dillard weaves in ideas and teachings from philosophers and religious groups around the world – always finding the common thread among them that rings out the same note when plucked. The anecdotes she relates from her experiences visiting the Holy Land (alone) give many sections of the book an eerie, transporting quality.
One of my favorite quotes: "For Tillich, God's activity is by no means interference, but instead divine creativity - the ongoing creation of life with all its greatness and danger. I don't know. I don't know beans about God." That's when I knew I could trust this woman.