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A review by hillarycopsey
Aug 9 - Fog by Kathryn Scanlan
5.0
What a perfect, plain-spoken little time capsule! Scanlan created this book from a real-life diary of an Illinois woman who was 86 when she began writing in 1968. The result feels a little like poetry, a spare memoir. In carving out a story from the entries, Scanlan has uncovered an evocative, colorful voice, one that felt specific but also representative of so many of the older folks I grew up with in 1980s rural Ohio. She reminded me of my grandparents and great-grandparents, particularly my Little Grandma, my great grandma, who would've been just a bit younger than the journal's author.
I loved this. So often I read Midwestern/rural books that feel hokey or overwrought. This felt true.
It reminded me a bit of Coulson's One Woman Show, a novel told in museum tags about one socialite's life from childhood to death. In each case, the authors have managed to hint at an entire life in a very tight form. Impressive.
I'm keeping this one near my reading chair and checking in with it often.
I loved this. So often I read Midwestern/rural books that feel hokey or overwrought. This felt true.
It reminded me a bit of Coulson's One Woman Show, a novel told in museum tags about one socialite's life from childhood to death. In each case, the authors have managed to hint at an entire life in a very tight form. Impressive.
I'm keeping this one near my reading chair and checking in with it often.