Thanks for giving props to Jia T.; I had started reading the piece without having noted the author, and the writing was so compelling that when you named her, I thought, "Ahh, of course." As for Gilbert, she has a generosity of spirit that I can't deny... [cont'd]
... but I can't shake the fact that, when I read "Eat, Pray, Love," I thought the first section had honest writing about her marriage, but then she mentions a call with her editor. I gasped aloud because it dawned on me that she had a book deal, and the rest of the book I could not abide.
(I don't begrudge authors their book deals, just that the idea of ending a marriage and seeking one's soulmate in Indonesia on Penguin's dime made the whole endeavor seem contrived to fulfill a narrative rather than reflections on experience.)
Well, yeah she got the book deal first. Its how she could afford her trip. Its a grift from beginning to end.
That’s what I mean; it was really disillusioning as a reader. (I was more naive then.)
I see, yeah. Of course it hurts when you get hit with something like that.
It made me angry. I felt betrayed; I’d been relating to the raw writing about a disintegrating marriage (they are in Italy, as I recall), and then sputtered (inside), “She has a BOOK DEAL while she’s doing all of this?” I think I threw the book on the floor; I remember that I did gasp out loud.
Ooof I can see that. I wanted to read the book but never got round to it (my TBR pile is... TALL). Then I found out she was paid to write it, which killed all interest. If you want something about culture and spiritual discovery that IS real may I suggest Wisdom Sits in Places by Keith Basso?
Thanks! I appreciate the recommendation! (My TBR pile is also large but I take personal referrals to heart.)
Yup! Its by an anthropologist who spends time making maps for the Apache. Its about memory and place, and spiritual inheritance. I just kinda ended up staring at the back cover for a while after I read it, processing.
It sounds extraordinary. Thank you.