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Dusk Night Dawn

 Anne Lamott, the gifted essayist, has a new book. She has married (for the first time, I think), she is in her sixties, and she has new material.


Lamott must have an extraordinary marriage, because her spouse has consented to appear in a few stories.


These stories are "worth the price of admission"; they are about what it means to live with someone in close quarters, and this material is especially valuable during the pandemic. Lamott notes that her husband has a slight "mansplainer" tendency, and the examples she gives are priceless. These two are both mildly Jesus-y, so they drive around chatting about the New Testament (and this is easy to imagine). Anne's husband begins a speech about how the immaculate conception does not refer to Jesus' birth, but in fact refers to Mary's birth. Anne--who had no desire to learn this--sits quietly and contemplates homicide. I love this.


Later, Anne reveals that her reading of Jesus' reference to "lilies-of-the-valley" must involve actual lilies. Anne's husband has unsolicited feedback: "Actually, lilies don't really grow in valleys. They are more likely to be found in woodlands, or slightly marshy areas? Jesus was surely referring to something like an anemone."


It's difficult to communicate and to be alive. Lamott sees this--and she "tells it like it is." I really liked the new book.

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