Everything Rustles

by Jane Silcott

Literary Nonfiction. Finalist, Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize (BC Book Prizes). Winner, CNFC Readers' Choice Award for THRESHHOLD. Staff Pick, BC BookWorld . Listed as one of the season's Ten Most Anticipated Books in the Himalayan Walking Shoes Journal . In this debut collection of personal essays, Silcott looks at the tangle of midlife, the long look back, the shorter look forward, and the moments right now that shimmer and rustle around marriage, menopause, fear, desire, loss, and that guy on the bus, the woman on the street, wandering bears, marauding llamas, light and laundry rooms.

"It is a refreshing adventure to open a collection of essays that are exactly beautiful bursts of curiosity. To essay is to attempt, to make an effort (OED). Canadian author Jane Silcott presents an engaging array of attempts in essay form. Her efforts are honest musings of married life, being a woman of a certain age, and questioning her ability to understand the deep and personal... Every individual essay is succinct, but packed with emotion, a gazing eye, and an inner grounding. Silcott expresses the wisdom of a middle-aged woman with the curiosity of a young girl."—Examiner.com

"Silcott has a strong voice, and like Didion's it is one that draws the reader in, page after page. In EVERYTHING RUSTLES, the Vancouver-based author examines that slow onset of fears, which are increasingly more pronounced as we age. This collection of short essays is written in an eloquent, poetic and deeply personal manner."— Vancouver Sun

"Jane Silcott writes crisp and compelling narratives; as their import emerges, small epiphanies wink into consciousness, and we are taken up into everyday life. Reading this collection of her work we glimpse layers of the real that seem so often to conceal the world from us. A wonderful book, a book of wonders."—Stephen Osborne, Publisher, Geist Magazine

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Essays

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Peggy Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book, and will read it again. It needs to be savoured - like I'm choosing the special chocolate truffles my husband gave me during this week of my MFA residency - make it last! There are big and small moments, and lots of belly laughs. A finely crafted glimpse into moments of a wry woman's life - highly recommended for reading with a soak in the tub, a coffee in your backyard, or any place really, where you can be still and hear the rustling.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the best essayists, Jane Silcott invites readers to her intimate musings-- to ride shotgun on a quest “to find out what [she] thought about things.” And when the trip inside her mind is over, you’re left with the favor of epiphany. Silcott’s Everything Rustles divvies 31 personal essays into four sections: Thresholds, Semantics, Graces, and Receptors. The essays’ themes, revolving around the Canadian author’s navigation of middle age, include gender perplexities, gynecology, marriage, unlikely connections, spirituality, guilt, and animals. Settings include caves, long dark driveways, public transportation, mountaintops, rock walls, deserted shores, laundry rooms, and kitchen tables. The pieces vary in structure and approach. Fear figures prominently throughout, yet so do breathtaking glimmers of meaning.

[Andrea MacPherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book--various topics, always beautiful language and a distinct voice. Loved it.

[Jessica Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Rustles is full of what I want in an essay: wit, tenderess, insight and beautiful language. Jane's ability to mine into the personal while carving profound connections, made me think deeper and linger longer over the page. A treasure I'll return to.

[jmbradle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it because I am in the vancouver area. I did not like the poetic tangents. Too much and difficult to follow some of the stories

[Dasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I guess, I had imagined it a lot more lyrical/existential than it actually was. The first couple essays resonated with me, and I thought "wow, this author is so insightful into her own life situation!", but then the stories got more and more personal, and somehow... crude. I am by no means a prude, but it just started to feel like personal writings of a woman in her fifties, who happens to feel horny, and that in itself surprises her. There is nothing wrong with that per se, it's just that I expected the book to have a different tone.

[Susie Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this witty, insightful book of essays. In fact, I kept marking the many wonderful lines that resonated with me. I appreciated the author's research, and the fact that she went beyond the surface to elucidate her topics. Did I mention she's funny, too?

[Perrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally getting the opportunity to read this...two essays in and I'm hooked.
Awesome collection of short stories. I really loved her "voice" and her writing style...it felt as if she was telling me these stories over a cup of tea.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real variety of pieces here. Some I found exquisite. Some profound. Some a bit too coy. One essay shocked and surprised me, mostly with my own cultural conditioning. Well worth reading with some beautiful writing. Vanessa shared this book with me and for that I am grateful.

[Rena Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silcott's ability to be more intimate than she planned, while exploring universal truths is woven together with beautiful language. Her use of research in these personal stories was instructional. I recommend this book for anyone writing memoir, personal essay or (like me), both.