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A review by jaclyn_sixminutesforme
Desire by Jessie Cole
5.0
Desire could just have appropriately been titled Trust… this fragmentary narrative memoir felt as much about “skin hunger” and the ebbs of intimate desire as it was about the machinations of relationships as an exercise in vulnerability of the heart and soul. The laying of everything on the line without any guarantee of reciprocity. The exposure and the (perceived) shame, the rejection of unrequited love.
I loved how much this memoir became entangled with nature writing when it hit its most profound strides - the complex forest environment the author inhabits while writing this read like a foil for the turmoils and soul-searching she embarks on throughout her time with the man she refers to interchangeably as her lover, the older man. The natural disasters, the loss of pets, the way she connects with waterways and solitude as the pandemic creeps into the timeframe. That it was a memoir written in real time as it was experienced completely translated into the page for me - there’s a rawness, an unfiltered palpability that felt unedited (a no-holds barred vibe, rather than any judgment on the writing process - not sure I’m articulating this well, sorry!)
This was truly exquisite writing, and I can’t thank @whatkissreads for putting it on my radar. I can’t recommend it enough, and the glowing endorsement by @tara_june_winch should 100% convince you to check this out!
I loved how much this memoir became entangled with nature writing when it hit its most profound strides - the complex forest environment the author inhabits while writing this read like a foil for the turmoils and soul-searching she embarks on throughout her time with the man she refers to interchangeably as her lover, the older man. The natural disasters, the loss of pets, the way she connects with waterways and solitude as the pandemic creeps into the timeframe. That it was a memoir written in real time as it was experienced completely translated into the page for me - there’s a rawness, an unfiltered palpability that felt unedited (a no-holds barred vibe, rather than any judgment on the writing process - not sure I’m articulating this well, sorry!)
This was truly exquisite writing, and I can’t thank @whatkissreads for putting it on my radar. I can’t recommend it enough, and the glowing endorsement by @tara_june_winch should 100% convince you to check this out!