stone diaries

carol shields is one of the most tragically underrated writers of the last 50 years. she brings out, micro-incident at a time, the profound, epic heaviness of the average life - the monumental nature of simply being.

her characters don't live lives of epic monsterous proportions. they simply live. their dramas are human, and no less dramatic or lacking in complexity for their humility. their lives are not peaceful or perfect, the families and relationships are all so ... so fleshy and alive, and real. Real. she writes from a heart of reality better than any other writer i can think of.

the stone diaries traces through a woman's life. she is born. she marries. her first husband passes away on their honeymoon. she remarries in her thirties, and has three children. she grows old, as do the children. and she eventually passes away. she has a period of deep depression after losing a job. her close friends pass away before her, but she forms more friendships later in life. she loves her husband; she mourns his death, but celebrates his life. it does not break her. she is strong. her mother died when she was born. her father is a wonderful character streaming through.

there is rock. they are all stone. we are all stone.

it is amazing, and i will carry little pieces of the stone with me for a long time. the gentle, beautiful heaviness of Shield's words will not leave me for some time.