Life is Like a Walking Safari by Jill Paris
I am a recent convert to the essay and short story. Writing short is a real challenge and I decided to study the short forms of writing and unexpectedly developed a deep appreciation for shorts. As a reader, I always gravitated to the epic adventure story or intergenerational family saga. If I’m going to emotionally invest in a character, I want that character to be around a while. (Curse you George R. R. Martin!)
So my interest in short writing started off as purely academic. I didn’t expect to actually like it. What I discovered, was a subtle, graceful world. So much happens in microcosm. A short story is like a universe in a marble, a snow-globe of life. They are beautiful in their subtlety and elegant in their simplicity… under the pen of a good writer, anyway. That’s another thing: short stories are less forgiving of clumsy authors than long narrative prose.
Jill Paris knows how to have her way with a story! I read (and completely enjoy) a lot of memoir from competent writers that have extraordinary experiences to share. Jill, on the other hand, finds the common elements of a story and writes them in an extraordinary way. Even her most unique experiences end up feeling totally relatable.
For example: I’d bet money that while a handful of readers interested in travel blogs may have been on safari, for the vast majority of readers, a safari is only a daydream or fantasy. Instead of relying on the uniqueness of her safari experience to engage readers, Jill’s safari is incidental to the theme she explores. She writes story about making peace with a situation when expectations do not match reality. She engages us not with the novelty of her story, but with it’s humanity. Maybe it didn’t happen on safari for you, but you have had a trip that did not quite live up the the brochure. You know what Jill is going through. Then Jill takes it a step farther. It’s not just about making the best of a trip that disappointed you. It becomes about making peace with all the inconsistencies of life, letting them be, and finding pleasure in them anyway. Life is hard, but life is so good.
Life is Like a Walking Safari is not just a safari story, it’s a collection of short essays and stories. Each is fully encapsulated and able to stand alone. Not only did I love the humanity of Jill’s book. I loved how, with one voice, she wove between comedy, tragedy, adventure, and drama. From one story to the next and sometimes within one story, she never oversimplifies nor overcomplicates the inner human dialogue.
I recommend Life is Like a Walking Safari for anyone who loves good writing in bite-sized pieces. I would have loved to read this bit-by-bit on the road. A story while waiting for my plane to take off, another while waiting for my driver, and another while waiting in line to visit an exhibit, what a delightful way to steal moments!
Read ~ Write ~ Wander
~Angie
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