Unless

[ivyblossom]

So I'm taking part in an old Blossom family tradition this holiday season; I'm sitting around most of the day reading. My book of choice is Carol Shields' last novel Unless. I met Carol Shields long ago when she came to my school to do a reading. I was extremely impressed by something I overheard; a woman came up to her with a stack of books and tears in her eyes, saying that these books had helped her through a difficult divorce, and several personal tragedies, and she was so happy to be there, could she please have an autograph? Carol Shields was near tears herself and said, "Can I have yours?"

As I recall, this novel in particular won an award of some variety not long ago. She was quite ill at the time with cancer and her daughter went to the award presentation in her place. When they announced that her mother had won, Carol Shields' daughter went up in front of the crowd, stood at the podium, and took out her cell phone. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

"Mom?" she said. "You won."

Carol Shields died not long afterward.

I'm enjoying the book, it's very good. I'm certain that I will continue to enjoy it. But I find reading difficult when I'm writing, particularly when I'm editing. Well, easy to read by difficult to get completely wrapped up in the story. I keep getting distracted by the method, the structure. I'm trying to learn from what I'm reading but I can't turn off my desire to make editorial comments. Why is it that literary fiction gets away with stuff I couldn't get away with under the eye of a beta reader? I keep stopping and thinking, okay, how is this entire chapter different from a character sketch? This whole section is a tangent. Sure, it's very pretty, but where is this going? Where's the thread of this story that gives the reader something to hold on to? Is that whole part necessary? The precentage of flashback to real time is pretty high. I'm not even sure what's going on in the 'right now'. Why is it that I know what her husband does, what he enjoys, how he's dealing with the major events of the novel, but I've never seen him in 'real time'? She takes time in a flashback to describe in detail a scene the narrator never saw. I'm jealous. I wish I could get away with this kind of thing.

Comments

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I think really, you can get away with anything that draws the reader along in the story and provokes an emotional response. If you overanalyze things, you may as well be writing a stuffy old journal article instead of a work of fantasy fiction.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Translates:

"Stop editing already!"

[gmonkey42.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah, I think of that a lot when I'm not really wrapped up in the story. I think we can get away with a little, but never as much as published writers do. I guess that's just the way of things.

[arcly.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I agree that rambling in litfic is generally more acceptable (Our Lady of the Lost and Found, for example :)) but I'm not sure it's always that interesting. Someone lent me Unless a few weeks ago because I liked The Stone Diaries, and I haven't managed to finish it because it didn't suck me in at all. It doesn't seem anywhere near as... directed as the other stuff I've read by Shields, and I also had a strong urge to hack and slash at it with edity knives. But I suspect that, given Shields' reputation and the circumstances of its publication, the book probably wasn't edited as heavily as it might have been.

*hugs* Keep editing! Will try to catch up with you soon.

[twiggymolly.livejournal.com]

See, This is why you are such a good writer. You are easy to read yet deep and meaningfull. You pay attention to what you like and do not like in others writings.

I have made you amethyst necklace! Whew! Sorry it took so long, had to get supplies during the holidays. So I will be mailing it asap.

Twiggymolly

The books

[niphredil100.livejournal.com]

What sort of books are these? Oh god, I bet I sounded soooo ignorant then. anyway, I am curious, she sounds like an interesting read.

[fevvy.livejournal.com]

Carol Shields is truly a brilliant author. I hope you don't mind that I have friended you. Is that alright? I'm a mere t00by fangirl, but I like you very much, and have read all your fics. I hope this is makes me qualified to read your journal. *is hopeful*

[words-on-a-page.livejournal.com]

I opened the paper yesterday, and guess what their was? An extract from Carol Shieldss unfinished novel. You're right, she is very good.