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A review by sara_shocks
The Unreality of Memory: And Other Essays by Elisa Gabbert
5.0
Ahhh what a collection, I was not disappointed--anticipation can really influence feelings on an outcome, after all.
I'm not even sure how to talk about all the topics she covers -- global warming, the end of the world, disasters (including pandemics), the role of the media, compassion and its utility, pain, the nature of reality, how we consider memory -- because she has arranged and synthesized them so beautifully here. I flagged many, many lines in this book, and I don't think I can pick one favorite essay (or even three).
Several people have told the author they find this soothing in spite of the grim subject matter (our inevitable end as a species), and I think this is because Gabbert's essays "complete the cycle," to borrow a framework from the Nagoski sisters. Doomscrolling is ultimately unsatisfying because there is no endpoint to the bits of bad news; Gabbert has meditated on the broader topics and taken them to some conclusion, even though she does not (and cannot) offer solutions.
I'm not even sure how to talk about all the topics she covers -- global warming, the end of the world, disasters (including pandemics), the role of the media, compassion and its utility, pain, the nature of reality, how we consider memory -- because she has arranged and synthesized them so beautifully here. I flagged many, many lines in this book, and I don't think I can pick one favorite essay (or even three).
Several people have told the author they find this soothing in spite of the grim subject matter (our inevitable end as a species), and I think this is because Gabbert's essays "complete the cycle," to borrow a framework from the Nagoski sisters. Doomscrolling is ultimately unsatisfying because there is no endpoint to the bits of bad news; Gabbert has meditated on the broader topics and taken them to some conclusion, even though she does not (and cannot) offer solutions.