A review by wendoxford
Turning by Jessica J. Lee
5.0
I had to stop and consider my feelings, about this book, for some time before they coalesced.
Although beautifully constructed and written, this is not a quick read. It is an interesting nod to a memoir, memoir without the trimmings. We gather only the life journey snippets we need to explain the moment. That is the thing, the moment. We don't have a huge landscape but we have the intensity of short snatches. The focus of swimming year-round the known and hidden lakes around Berlin (Brandenburg) without the redundant clutter of examining anything but the facts. I found it incredible the moment when she takes a domestic hammer (as if commonplace) from her backpack to crack the ice enough to be able to enter the water for a swim! It is never even implied that swimming 52 lakes in one year is held up as a challenge. It is a decision to heal.
The sensitive and curious narrative exposure acts as some kind of cold water immersive therapy for the reader alongside the writer. I found it challenging yet riveting and was left wondering why I have been so circumspect about even thinking about such a journey! Syncopation extraordinaire...
Although beautifully constructed and written, this is not a quick read. It is an interesting nod to a memoir, memoir without the trimmings. We gather only the life journey snippets we need to explain the moment. That is the thing, the moment. We don't have a huge landscape but we have the intensity of short snatches. The focus of swimming year-round the known and hidden lakes around Berlin (Brandenburg) without the redundant clutter of examining anything but the facts. I found it incredible the moment when she takes a domestic hammer (as if commonplace) from her backpack to crack the ice enough to be able to enter the water for a swim! It is never even implied that swimming 52 lakes in one year is held up as a challenge. It is a decision to heal.
The sensitive and curious narrative exposure acts as some kind of cold water immersive therapy for the reader alongside the writer. I found it challenging yet riveting and was left wondering why I have been so circumspect about even thinking about such a journey! Syncopation extraordinaire...