A review by lydiapaterson
The Pharmacist's Mate and 8 by Amy Fusselman
3.0
The inventive design made me grab this title off the New Books shelf at the library. Promising "2 books in 1," two slim volumes are packaged together with one turned upside down.
I decided to read The Pharmacist's Mate first, based on how McSweeney's and the public library arranged their barcodes. This concise yet striking tale features two alternating narratives: a woman trying to get pregnant and the journal of her recently deceased father, from his seafaring years.
I actually thought The Pharmacist's Mate was fiction until I flipped over into 8, which featured the same "character's" voice. I realized I was in memoir territory when Amy Fusselman's husband Frank appeared again.
Some beautiful writing appears here, especially about being a new parent. With 8, I missed the guiding structure and counterpoint of her father's journal. This later nonfiction narrative seems more of a circular journey, retreading the same ice. The Beastie Boys thing lost me completely.
I decided to read The Pharmacist's Mate first, based on how McSweeney's and the public library arranged their barcodes. This concise yet striking tale features two alternating narratives: a woman trying to get pregnant and the journal of her recently deceased father, from his seafaring years.
I actually thought The Pharmacist's Mate was fiction until I flipped over into 8, which featured the same "character's" voice. I realized I was in memoir territory when Amy Fusselman's husband Frank appeared again.
Some beautiful writing appears here, especially about being a new parent. With 8, I missed the guiding structure and counterpoint of her father's journal. This later nonfiction narrative seems more of a circular journey, retreading the same ice. The Beastie Boys thing lost me completely.