Intoxication and its Aftermath
When I first started this story, the idea that it may be a nonfiction essay on alcohol addiction was beyond me. The title and the cover drew me in more than the thought of it being a personal account. However, that didn't stop me from finishing it (only realizing it was nonfiction halfway through). Still, what a beautiful account of a personalized journal of alcoholism and sobriety.
A Story to Remember
The story in this book is her story. A memoir about Jamison's reasons and struggles with alcohol and eventually overcoming them with and through writing. While she talks about her adventure, she has planted her journey and connected it with others, individuals in the writing community, who have struggled with alcoholism.
I was in tune with this idea from the start (while at first it was confusing). Not only was she a writer and following her path, she planned different research and included different stories at specific times to connect with and help move her book along. Along with including other stories, she tells us the history of the recovery movement from AA meetings to rehab centers in her region.
Also, I found that I connected with her story on the level of one of her relationships towards the end. It's difficult and different throughout her addiction and recovery and she finds herself wanting to go back to the way it was before. It showed me that addiction can have an impact on relationships and the outside world in more ways than one and more ways than the obvious, in some cases.
Jamison's flow, diction, and overall style made me hungry for more words than I could imagine when first starting to read. This is one of the first nonfiction/memoir books I have read that didn't include a part of world history. It was heartbreaking at times and funny and heartwarming in others. It felt like I was watching everything happening from a second person's point of view and not an outsider.
The subtitle for this I feel dives into (and I should have paid more attention to) the aspects of the book itself. It's in different parts too that Jamison has split to make sense. Each part is named perfectly for what was happening in her life and then some. What brings me to my knees after realizing her story is her front cover - a glass rim. As if the reader is looking down into a glass and seeing the title and who it is by; it's even reflected.
Rating 5/5
I'm just overly impressed by this essay that it has made me want to read more like it and I can't wait. This book has made me a fan of Leslie Jamison and I am going to read more of her works as well. It only takes one book to be hooked.
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