Sunday, September 25, 2011

Death, Cataloged

I'm a big believer in judging a book by its cover! I browse the library's new arrivals all the time, looking for a catchy title, an author I've heard good things about, or a description that grabs me. The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham was one that appealed to two very different sides of me: the one that loves catalogs (naturally, since I work at the library!), and the one that morbidly enjoys grief memoirs. In this National Book Award finalist, Wickersham crafts the stark, painful story of her father's suicide, organized in an index.

Wickersham's subject headings range from cold, clinical facts of who, what, when, where, and how, to ones more concerned with the question that can perhaps never be satisfactorily answered: why. Each heading, with its nested subheadings, almost resembles a free-verse poem:
"day after
brother's appearance, 48-53
concern that he will be viewed differently now, 54-55
"little room" discussion with his business partner, 56-58
search warrant, 59-60
speculation relating to bulge, 61-56"
The index itself could stand alone as a powerful work of art. However, each entry that it references is a separate piece of an insoluble puzzle. Every referenced section feels like a fragmented entry in a diary, brief essays that don't add up to an exhaustive whole.

If you're drawn to grief memoirs, but looking for something linear and analytical, you may prefer The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, or A Box of Darkness by Sally Rider Brady.

-Jenny

No comments:

Post a Comment

What can I post on your wall?
Commenting & Posting Guidelines

Welcome to your library on social media!

Pima County Public Library (PCPL) offers blogs and other social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter for educational, cultural, civic, customer service, and recreational purposes. They provide a limited (or designated) public forum to facilitate the sharing of ideas, opinions, and information about library-related subjects and issues.

By choosing to comment or post on our social media accounts, you agree with the following:

Comments and posts are moderated by library staff, and the library reserves the right to remove any that are unlawful or off topic. Posts containing the following may be deleted:
Copyright violations
Off-topic comments
Commercial material/spam/solicitation
Sexual content, or links to sexual content
Threatening or harassing postings
Libelous or other kinds of personal attacks
Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity
Content that reveals private, personal information without permission
Vulgar language or content
Comments in support of or in opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures
Content that degrades others on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability or other classification

P.S. Protect your privacy. Don't post personally identifying information in these public spaces, including details like your library card number, phone number, or medical information, etc.

Young people under age 18, especially, should not post information such as your school, age, phone number, and address.