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A review by snarkywench
All We Know of Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin
3.0
Baskin's tale has a structure that in theory probably shouldn't work in a narrative this short ... but it does. Natalie is on the road, crossing the country to reunite with an unsuspecting mother. This story really is about how easy it is to blame yourself for another's persons choices. Natalie has become an expert at it, her question about chocolate chip cookies drove her mother away. Her boyfriend's lack of interest in her (with an exception to one thing) is because she's not interesting enough. Blah, blah, blah. In truth, Natalie is a bit of a sad sack. There is a lack of vitality about her but I pose that this is due to her parents and her boyfriend sucking it out of her.
What is really striking about this book is the structure. As Natalie travels by bus towards her mother she meets many different people. Natalie's story is spliced with short vignettes from the other person's reflection on a time in their past. These stories always revolve around love - the joy, the disappointment, the yearning and the lust - but they never intrude upon Natalie's journey.
Baskin has a lovely way of phrasing her thoughts. Some might consider them to be a little blunt but that's why I liked her style. One of Natalie's concerns (other than her meeting with her mother) is a pregnancy scare and Baskin's line of 'But no matter how hard I try, I cannot will my uterus into shedding it's lining' will definitely be too confronting for some but I got a great little laugh out of it. It appealed to the absurd in me.
This won't be a read for everyone but I liked it nevertheless.
What is really striking about this book is the structure. As Natalie travels by bus towards her mother she meets many different people. Natalie's story is spliced with short vignettes from the other person's reflection on a time in their past. These stories always revolve around love - the joy, the disappointment, the yearning and the lust - but they never intrude upon Natalie's journey.
Baskin has a lovely way of phrasing her thoughts. Some might consider them to be a little blunt but that's why I liked her style. One of Natalie's concerns (other than her meeting with her mother) is a pregnancy scare and Baskin's line of 'But no matter how hard I try, I cannot will my uterus into shedding it's lining' will definitely be too confronting for some but I got a great little laugh out of it. It appealed to the absurd in me.
This won't be a read for everyone but I liked it nevertheless.