Beautiful Ruins, A Model for Writers

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter will serve as an example when I feel my writing has faded to pale vanilla. It seems redundant to review a book that has won so many awards, but, as a writer, I wanted to share what I found so valuable in his writing. Though the chapters jump decades and continents--back and forth, here and there--they are carefully titled and the story threads are linked tighter and tighter as you are carried deeper into the warp and weft of a very satisfying experience. Characters speak with distinct language in a variety of ways, and the story progresses with a variety of styles—through bits of plays, the first chapters of a failed memoir and a novel, and an enthusiastic movie pitch. Most helpful to me is the way Jess Walter weaves the characterizations and settings seamlessly into the action. Themes—like the price of fame and the cost of ego--are illustrated brilliantly in the characters’ interactions, without comment. The reader never loses a sense of experiencing the story and its setting. With fifteen years in the writing, itself a fascinating story, Walters’ agonizing effort has woven a beautiful and life-enhancing tapestry.