There’s a new kind of first-person narrative nonfiction book growing in popularity, and it is moving away from traditional commercial memoir as “misery lit” following a single template of story structure, the hero’s journey. We’re into the twenty-twenties now, and I see a pattern emerging among these new kinds of nonfiction books: a distinctive narrator’s voice, expository information about a subject matter separate from the personal themes at play, and structure that braids them together. Some of the narrators use a confessional voice, others that of a witness, a reporter, and/or a field guide. Many of these new books have chapters structured more like an essay a novel chapter. Some use a series of scenes, not necessarily chronological, but juxtaposed in such a way as to reveal a deeper story. The subject matter itself may provide metaphors for structuring the book. Taking a subject larger than the self is a refreshing approach to first-person narration that satisfies readers in new ways. I’m not entirely convinced this new wave of structuring life stories is distinctly American since the first book that hooked me on rethinking memoir came from Sweden. Patrik Svensson’s The Book of Eels won the August Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary award. I learned a lot about eels that fascinated me. Not so much about his father, with whom he went eel fishing, often in silence. By standing shyly behind the eels, Svensson reveals metaphorically through the investigation of eels the nature of grief for a parent. In many of…
Passion for good, simple, healthy food is something farmers and hunters share with chefs, urban homesteaders and metropolitan diners in these new books about meat and so much more. It’s become cool to be carnivore. Farmer and evangelist for the grass-fed movement, Joel Salatin’s new book, Folks This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World (Hatchette 2011) points… [Read More]
Filed Under: Blood, Bones, Butter, Carnivore, Chefs, Cookbooks, Foodie memoirs, Gabrielle Hamilton, Georgia Pellgegrini, Hank Shaw, Hunting, Joel Salatin, Meat, Memoirs, Omnivore Books, Ruth Reichl, Stephane Reynaud, Tamar Adler
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