Book Talk: Safekeeping By Abigail Thomas
writer, mother, teacher
& all around STH (super terrific human).
Safekeeping is a beautiful and poetic memoir by Abigail Thomas who must have gotten her "Less is more" memo, stuck it on her bulletin board and reread it while writing this spare book. Thomas gives us glimpses of her life—pregnant at 18, married, single with three children at 26, divorced, widowed and all the emotional terrain of each of these enormous chunks of life. Her writing is simple and profound and funny and brutally honest.
Thomas writes mini scenes from her life and tells her story in flashcards. Each moment is a page, sometimes less, sometimes more. What she leaves out tells us as much as what she includes.
In "A Present" Thomas writes:
What is this, my sister asks again.
It's an explanation, I answer.
An explanation?
It's an apology, I say.
An apology?
It's a present, I say.
There's no fluff or waste in Thomas' word choices. I love that about her writing.
In my own writing, I find the places I struggle with the most are often the places that need to be cut. It can be that simple. As writers we get so attached and why not? After all, we came up with them, connected them together like some many Lego's and we think they're…well…beautiful. But sometimes the delete button can be our best friend. From my own experience, I have learned to use it more often.
When something bogs down a piece of your writing, try pulling it out. Try Thomas's minimalist style. See what you think and of course, reading Safekeeping is a necessity for a memoir writer.
In your own writing process, have you also found that "less is best?" Share your comments here!
