Hi everybody! Hope you've had a great fall so far. Today I'm reviewing the book "Pieces Like Pottery: Stories of Loss and Redemption" by Dan Buri. So you might have guessed from the title, its not the happiest book ever, but its pretty darn deep, so stick with me.
This is a collection of short stories, so I'll review story by story.
The Gravesite:
This is the story of Mike and Lisa, who lost their son Chris in a tragic accident and how they cope afterwards. Some readers might see this as a bit more of a mystery, because Chris's blog posts keep on coming after his death. On the other hand, I saw it as showing how far parents can fall after the death of a child, and how families are torn apart. One quote that caught me eye was, "Losing a child is like losing your soul; even though you may continue to live on the outside, on the inside you're dying." Chris's blog posts are definitely deep, and a bit hard to understand at times. Near the end of the story, Mike describes them as "esoteric." Ironically, I had to google the definition of that. It means: intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. Lisa is utterly and totally obsessed with the blog posts. She spends day in and day out reading them. Personally, I did know about services that let you post things after death, so it was less of mystery to me. Lisa refuses to accept Chris's death, and in one disturbing line tells Mike she would have rather kept on believing he was alive. How could she want that? I understand hope, but she needs to accept the truth.
On to to the topic of Chris. It's easy to imagine Chris actually saying all of the things in his blog posts, and I didn't even think about Buri actually being the one with all these deep, philosophical thoughts. At one point, Chris mentioned "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace and I freaked out because I love that speech! Not only that, just as I was going to mention that there shouldn't be so many references, Lisa beat me to it. "On the other hand, she loved the many references Chris always had throughout his writing. He was so smart and well-read that she always loved finding out what the references meant. The reference to This is Water was one of those she found fascinating once she researched it more." On that note, I'd definitely recommend everyone to go listen to This is Water. In some of Chris's blog posts, he talked about the uber-religous people who forced their beliefs on other people, such as the sin of being gay, and how this upset him. I definitely agree with Chris on this, but it's always dangerous to talk about controversial issues like that, although respect to Buri for going with it.
In the end, this story had two main messages going for it. It made me question certain aspects of life through Chris's blog posts, and it showed the pain and grief families go through when they lose one of their own. This story was especially good at showing Lisa's obsession with the chance of Chris being alive. Overall, I liked it, but some of the deepest, most philosophical parts where lost on me, just because of how (straight out of Mike's mouth) esoteric they were.
The Dominance of Nuture:
I was so confused for the first few pages. My first thought was, "Omg, its another child created by scientists story, like Cam (from Unwind)." But turns out, it wasn't. This guy thought up the theory that basically settles the nature vs. nuture debate. The theory says that only a few things like race, eye color, and general body shape are caused by nature (aka genes). Everything, and I mean everything else is caused by the parents:
"What type of food did your mother eat when she was pregnant with you? What music did your father play when you were in the womb? How late was your mother staying up during the second trimester? Was she sick with food poisoning late in the pregnancy? DId the doctor remove yyou from the birth canal a few seconds after you were prepared to take your first breath, causing fear and sudden panic in your newborn mind? Did your two-year old sibling land on your sternum when you were merely an infant? Did your father yell at you too loudly when you were a young boy? Did your mother force you to eat a food that was unappetizing and affected your brain chemistry as a young girl?"
Sorry for the long quote, but that pretty much sums it up. Another thing that gives you a hint about the aftermath is the scientist who made the theory committed sucide. (And his sucide note was put in a museum and textbooks, which is a bit creepy.) That sets the path for the rest of the parents. This story follows a young boy and his mother and father. He has trouble reading, although I'm a bit curious if standards are higher whenever in the future that this story is set because most kids ARE learning how to read at age six, so this child isn't nesscarily behind. They later go on to say he had trouble with other academic things and was placed in a school for slow children. In the story, all of this is blamed on the parents who might have, say, feed the mother the wrong thing while she was pregnant. My theory is that once everybody kept telling this little boy he was dumb and behind, even while blaming the parents, this set the course FOR the child to be behind. Anyway, his mom eventually committed sucide. The father later says, "I had become a cliche of the times-- a single parent widowed because of the weight of nuture." All this blame for every little thing that is classified as a fault in the child goes to the parents, and its just too much for them. I especially find this story interesting because I read a book that was the opposite of this. In that book, everything was determined by your genes, so with a simple test they could figure out whether you would be a murderer, an Olympian, or an author. People, even students, were placed in jail if the test "determined" they'd be a murderer based on their genes. It was a really interesting book, but sadly I don't remember the title. This story is on the other side of the spectrum. Anyway, the ending of this story did seem a bit off. This man has been basically taught the theory of Dominance of Nuture his whole life, and here he is telling his son that he can decide what happens to him. Sweet, but not realistic. This story was kinda out of place with a bunch of other realistic fiction stories about loss. Either way, it does show what can happen if all the blame is placed on one aspect of society.
Twenty-Two:
Wow. Thanks a lot, I already had a cold. I didn't need to cry anymore. This was one of my favorite stories. It started out slow, describing both the bartender and the man. You could tell that something had gone very wrong in both of their lives. The bartender for example, doesn't even like the smell of beer, and he sees the future he never had. "…the smell of his bar. This smell never ceased to make him cringe slightly a few times a day…in reality he never cared for the odor of the beer he served..it was never something he particularly enjoyed." I have a lot of respect for the bartender though. He didn't even start as a bar owner, but he just ended up that way. And he truly cares about the people he serves. "Better educated people were paid a lot of money for the services he performed daily, but without a PhD he was simply a bartender." Preach man, preach. I definitely didn't understand the man at first. I thought that 22 steps was the space from his house to the bar, and that he was an alcoholic (which he is, kinda. But more to clear the pain from his head than anything else.) But this quote by the man struck particularly deep. "There's a jagged hole in my heart. A hole has been torn in the middle of my soul. Maybe it will smooth over in time. Life will present moments. A wave of grace may present itself to smooth the jagged hole, but the hole will always remain. There's no closure. There's no filling the hole." Buri's writing style is like ragged poetry. His lines sing like poetry, but with an anchor in reality. In the story, I see similarities between the bartender and the man. They both go through their day in a stupor. The bartender dreams of what could have been, and the man ponders on what has been.
And then you find out what happened. Usually, I don't like those super ironic coincidental "oh look what a small world" endings. But for some reason, this one was believable. It worked. On a second note, I don't usually connect with short story characters very well. We just don't have enough time to get to know them. But in this story, I really felt like I got to know all the characters (maybe because we basically saw their deepest regrets). I though FOR SURE the man's wife died in a car crash, while pregnant. But what actually happened was somehow worse. Just the amount of love they showed each other, and how excited the man was coming home from work. Here's my reactions: "I used to melt when she laughed." *internal smile* "I reached home immediately after my meeting. I think we were planning to start telling friends and family that night. As I rushed home, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out in excitement." *my heart sinks* "I began texting my wife that I would be home soon. Then it happened. She came out of nowhere. *wide eyes* "That girl's face still haunts my nights." *dies a bit inside* "The prison was nothing compared to the prison I've been in since. The stress was too much on my wife. She lost the baby two months after the trial. We lost our marriage not long after that…..She was twenty-two steps from her front door…Just nine years old." *sobs* "Ten.' the bartender said quietly. "She had just turned ten." I'M DONE. WHY?
This story was a story of tragedy and how to live on afterward. But unlike "The Gravesite", I really saw the soul of all of the characters. And the ending…oh my goodness. The chances that the little girl killled was the bartender's daughter are so slim, yet so tragic. The most emotional part of this story to me was the repetition of twenty-two.
"Twenty-two times the cold air froze his lungs reminding him he was alive, one breath with each step. Twenty-two steps home." This story also outlines how all of our lives are intertwined, and how similar we are when dealing with grief. Thanks for the good cry.
Expect Dragons:
Can I just quote this whole thing for my review? I LOVE THIS STORY! I swear, they just keep getting better and better. This story had so many lines I wanted to quote, I had to stop myself. Even as a little kid, James would get hate from other children who didn't even know what they were saying. Its really sad how the hate spewing out of kids everywhere is straight from their parents. Go Mrs. K though, "In this world, you're far more than any label." And as I mentioned above, its definitely dangerous to have a gay character, or talk about religion in books but its reality and yes, you might lose a few readers because of it but overall, I respect Buri for being realistic in his stories. Oh my god James' dad though, I swear. How much more terrible could he get? Unsupportive, alcoholic, and abusive. And, "Theres nothing wrong with it as long as you don't act on it." Ok, so you don't want your son to fall in love? He freaking sent his kid to "Camp Change." I knew the moment James said that camp's name what it would be. That is one of the most horrible things EVER. These people can't say a bunch of hate and then use religion as a shield. "That's why you became gay. We're here to help. We're here to save you." It makes me sick, even though its just in a book. Sorry, back to the story. James' whole family situation just made me so mad. The fact that he accepted all the hate he got as an everyday thing makes this so much worse. On to Mr. Smith. Its so inspiring to see the impact that Mr. Smith had on James, like a father figure. Mr. Smith sounds like an amazing teacher, and his list of 40 pieces of advice I might actually take to heart.
One thing I don't understand was James' song. I don't know if I just didn't understand it, but I didn't see THAT much relevance to it. Like it was a nice song and all but…I was more interested in Mr. Smith's rad life advice. Which honestly could be a book of its own. "Other people's excitement should bring us excitement, son. Always remember that." "Find meaning each day James." I think the quote that impacted me the most was this: "There is no abstract meaning of life, James. Each person has his own vocation. Your life cannot be repeated, nor can it be replaced. Your purpose is unique to the specific opportunities that are presented to you and to no one else. And it’s not always the same purpose throughout the course of your life, just as there is not always a best chess move throughout the course of a game. Your purpose may change, but always strive to know what that purpose is. We belong, James, simply because we are. No one can take that away from us." That is simply beautiful. Everybody has a purpose, everybody's life has meaning, and no one else can take that away. Even though James' dad didn't support him being gay, and neither did a lot of other people, James' life still had meaning.
Eventually, the plot of this story boiled down to Mr. Smith and his amazing advice, and James and his sucky dad. Heck, I was crying by the second page. (Well, I'm emotional anyway, but still.) Like I said before, I love the poetry-like writing.
"Each droplet hit the pavement and exploded into hundreds of fragments unable to control the direction of the spray after impact. With fractalian division, each new tiny droplet itself exploded into fragments. The rain soon poured down making each droplet indiscernible from the next, a flood of raindrops coming down in sheet." (plot twist: these are my tears. Just kidding, this is just one of my favorite lines.)
Dies Cum Anxieta:
This story is very short, but that suits it. I had to do my own interpretation because its not clear but as I see it: This man is depressed or something similar. He's struggling. And even though he has an uber cute little daughter and a wife, his brain keeps feeding him these lies. Its like the Devil and the Angel on both shoulders. He's just trying to live his life but the Devil keeps whispering in his ear, even though from the reader's perspective we can tell none of the stuff the "devil" says is true. I think a lot of us can relate to this story because we all hear that voice, telling us we're worthless and we don't deserve what we have. It definitely resounds with me to see it written out on paper.
Family:
I actually didn't like this story at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw the connections to not only my life but everybody's life and the more angry I became. Be prepared for a story of extreme injustice. It starts out with a simple Catholic priest, Father Michael, who serves at a large church in his city. He's passionate about his work, and honestly a genuinely good man. When his father left him and his family when Michael was young, he didn't follow his brothers lead and get angry. Instead, he gave his father the benefit of the doubt, and still as an adult doesn't judge his father. When one of the members of his church was sent to jail for getting inside info on the stock market, he asked Father Michael to take care of his two kids and wife. Michael, being the kind person he was, said yes. He helped out the family for nothing in return. But then the elderly neighbor started to assume things. (I'm sorry but REALLY?). Do you think you'd be angry when police came into your church accusing you of abusing the very children you generously set out to help? I would. But Michael wasn't. He cooperated with the police, and they let him go home. But guess who found out next? The WONDERFUL media. The story blew up, and even made it to national news. Under pressure from the community and the media, the police arrested Michael. Did Michael get mad? No, he didn't. At this point, I think this story really plays on the injustice WE feel for him being falsely accused. The police still hesitate to release Michael, even when they know he is innocent. Does Michael get mad, as his brothers do? No, he doesn't. He merely says "Everything happens for a reason" and like a true priest talks about God. Oh, and guess what happens next. Michael's church freaking KICKS HIM OUT. They call it him going on a "sabbatical" BUT THEY REALLY KICKED HIM OUT. NOW I'M MAD. A GOOD man trying to do GOOD things gets his whole freaking LIFE ruined. Lots of people are at fault here. The neighbor for accusing him in the first place. The police for caving to pressure, and even then not releasing him for a while. His church for ignoring all signs that Michael is an amazing man and kicking him out anyway. His life is hard enough anyway WITHOUT them doing that. This story not only shows the faults in our justice system, but the faults of human assumption. Just because the Catholic priests halfway across the globe in the Vatican abused kids doesn't mean every priest in the presence of kids is abusing them. Don't and that means DO NOT assume things about people. They are most likely not true. Don't get me wrong, if you see something funky report it to the police. But a man driving some kids to school is not enough evidence, even if he is a priest. A quote that represents this story well is from when Paul was in jail. "My part in this." Paul sneered. "There are criminals raping and murdering people out there, and I'm stuck in here. For what? All because I helped my family and my parish earn some money. Some justice." You're right, Paul. Some justice.
Overall, the moral I got from this story was: Bad things happen to good people. And in the end, are the powers of character or the assumptions put on you by society stronger?
The Ballad of Love and Hate:
Well, I've reached the last story. I wouldn't say this story was my favorite, but it has so many deep thoughts and the writing is almost lyrical. This story follows a young woman as she heads home to her lover after a long vacation. One of my fav quotes is when she describes a love letter: "The intimate thoughts that can only be realized through a pristine moment of coherence when a light flickers on in the soul." One thing I was disappointed about was how Buri made the woman traditionally beautiful. Blond hair, blue eyes, and tan. There's plenty of ways to be beautiful, and I just wish she hadn't been the classic. OK Mr. Buri. Here I am reading your story, and you have to CASUALLY MENTION MIKE. I freaked out. When Mike (or at least someone else who had a son die during a hiking accident in Thailand and then have his marriage ruined because of it) showed up on that plane, omg. I thought that the last story would be a mashup of all the characters from the previous stories. And yeah, I tried to match all the characters after that. Is the lover James? (no wait, he's gay.) Is the taxi driver Father Michael after being kicked out of the church? (hold up, he didn't have a sister who died, let alone a sister at all…) Anyway, back to the story. There was a few bits of this story that I might have missed the point over. The lover had a whole rant about the last time he had tasted blood. I'll admit, I thought there'd be some big reveal involving vampires. Unfortunatly, no. I was so worried when the girl arrived back home and her lover didn't show up. But he did, and what came next was an undeniably the sweetest exchange in the whole book.
"Love, I'm sorry."
"What for? I'm yours, and that's it. Whatever."
"I should not have been gone for so long."
"I'm yours, and that's it. Forever."
"You're mine, and that's it. Forever."
Too sweet. Too perfect. This story was a mix of love, anguish and hope. The depth of its message was enough to make up for its general lack of plot. Moral of the story: Love beats all.
OVERALL:
Well, its been quite the journey reviewing this book. I cried too many times. While it may be a bit (borrowing this word from Mike) esoteric, its worth the read even if you have to reread a few sections. A few parts were a bit too metaphorical and deep even for me. I suggest rereading the book after you finish, which is what I'll be doing. Each of the stories tells a different tale of love, hope, sadness, judgement, and questioning. The style of writing is lyrical, almost as if it was poetry. While I didn't review them, I liked the little poems thrown in here and there. I think we can all learn a few things from this book, both good and bad.
Thanks for reading all the way down! Thank you to Dan Buri for providing a copy of the book. I really enjoyed it. I'll leave you with a few quotes that stuck with me throughout the book.
" This has been the age-old question, James. ‘What is the meaning of life?’ But maybe that’s exactly what Life is asking of us, and you can only answer it by answering for your own life, no one else’s. You answer Life by being responsible for your own experiences, the good and the bad.”
"Everyone has a story and a pain they fight. Don’t judge them because you saw a moment when the pain overcame them and you saw a bad side of them. There's good in there."
"Remember to get lost in your mind from time to time."
"There is only one you."
Keep reading everybody and stay inspired!
-Colleen