Lamott

 My favorite aspect of Lamott's writing was that she talked about hard things, things that we try to not think about, or pretend doesn't exist, like an addiction or being self-conscious. But she talked about them in a way that didn't scare the reader away, which I'm sure had to do with her very casual tone. Even when talking about something as serious as being an alcoholic. Rather than spend time preaching or scaring readers away from the dangers of alcohol, she merely drops the hard facts on as we scramble to catch them. She only briefly mentions that two of her friends killed themselves and doesn't even bring up the fact that all the alcohol and pills she took in the first full scene could have easily landed her in a hospital. Instead, she trusts the reader to have more common sense than her 20-year-old self. In fact, Lamott puts a lot of trust in the reader. I think this is probably what made me enjoy her writing. There was no need to remind the reader that three Valiums, a (possibly illegal) sleeping drug, and three or four beers is not a safe combination or that it was a sign that her alcoholism was getting worse and not better.

When it came to "Aunties," I loved Lamott's unlikely comparisons, such as calling her thighs Aunties I believe it was in Intro to Creative Writing that I first heard that bringing unique parallels, metaphors, and comparisons were what pulled a description out of the simply descriptive to powerful. New parallels force our brains to think through the connection and if we don't see it right away, we ask "How is A like B?" and so we keep reading.

After I finished the reading and thought back on it, I realized neither of Lamott's endings were predictable in any way. Her beginning and end didn't necessarily connect in an obvious way, either, like in "Aunties." I had actually forgotten what the first page said and so was pleasantly surprised by the ending. As for "Thirst," the end was a complete surprise. I expected read that she eventually overcame her addiction, but I did not think she would end up talking about her struggles and that of others so fondly. It brought out Lamott's own unique "wierdness" (as Dillard said), and I liked that because it made you see the author a little differently for being so enamored with stories of "ruin."

-Justyne Marin