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A review by christinafrancisgilbert
Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro
4.0
This memoir is a whirlwind of emotions and experiences to represent Dani Shapiro's life and relationships.
I love her style and found this to be a raw and honest insight into the author's life.
It makes sense that the sub title lists Time, Memory and Marriage as its themes though the title of Hourglass appeals to me most. I can understand how the narrowing of an hourglass is a perfect analogy for the constraints of middle age. Her early life is presented to us in vignettes and expanses of opportunity just like the top half of an hourglass. And I can only imagine she anticipated her readers to think of later life experiences as having a parallel sense of widened opportunity.
I found it interesting that Shapiro made frequent references back to her teenage journals and writings from her past. I also love how she intertwines various memories of places she has lived and her past lives or selves.
Shapiro's writing is masterful and poetic so that I immensely enjoyed reading this short memoir. I noticed how elements of her own life and people she has known influenced her recent novel Signal Fires, which I loved. In particular, her references to Altzheimer's. I will be seeking out another of her novels in coming months: Black and White.
I love her style and found this to be a raw and honest insight into the author's life.
It makes sense that the sub title lists Time, Memory and Marriage as its themes though the title of Hourglass appeals to me most. I can understand how the narrowing of an hourglass is a perfect analogy for the constraints of middle age. Her early life is presented to us in vignettes and expanses of opportunity just like the top half of an hourglass. And I can only imagine she anticipated her readers to think of later life experiences as having a parallel sense of widened opportunity.
I found it interesting that Shapiro made frequent references back to her teenage journals and writings from her past. I also love how she intertwines various memories of places she has lived and her past lives or selves.
Shapiro's writing is masterful and poetic so that I immensely enjoyed reading this short memoir. I noticed how elements of her own life and people she has known influenced her recent novel Signal Fires, which I loved. In particular, her references to Altzheimer's. I will be seeking out another of her novels in coming months: Black and White.