ONBOOKS | OPINION: Two ways of telling a life story — ‘Small Town Girls’ by Jayne Ann Phillips and ‘Go Gentle’ by Maria Semple |
This week, two books seem to walk in and immediately start arguing about how to tell a life story. Jayne Ann Phillips, in "Small Town Girls: A Writer's Memoir," takes her time, sifting through decades until the details take shape. Maria Semple, in "Go Gentle," likes to keep moving. She makes decisions quickly, changes them just as fast and lets them stand on their own. Phillips believes that if you gather enough moments, the story will come together. Semple relies on momentum. Neither tries to explain what it all means, which might be the most honest thing about both books.