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Hieroglyphics
“ Hieroglyphics is a novel that tugs at the deepest places of the human soul—a beautiful, heart-piercing meditation on life and death and the marks we leave on this world. It is the work of a wonderful writer at her finest and most profound.”
—Jessica Shattuck, author of The Women in the Castle
After many years in Boston, Lil and Frank have retired to North Carolina. The two of them married young, having bonded over how they both—suddenly, tragically—lost a parent when they were children. Now, Lil has become determined to leave a history for their own kids. She sifts through letters and notes and diary entries, uncovering old stories—and perhaps revealing more secrets than Frank wants their children to know.
Meanwhile, Frank has become obsessed with the house he lived in as a boy on the outskirts of town, where a young single mother, Shelley, is now raising her son. For Shelley, Frank’s repeated visits begin to trigger memories of her own family, memories that she’d hoped to keep buried. Because, after all, not all parents are ones you wish to remember.
Empathetic and profound, this novel from master storyteller Jill McCorkle deconstructs and reconstructs what it means to be a father or a mother, and to be a child trying to know your parents—a child learning to make sense of the hieroglyphics of history and memory.
—Jessica Shattuck, author of The Women in the Castle
After many years in Boston, Lil and Frank have retired to North Carolina. The two of them married young, having bonded over how they both—suddenly, tragically—lost a parent when they were children. Now, Lil has become determined to leave a history for their own kids. She sifts through letters and notes and diary entries, uncovering old stories—and perhaps revealing more secrets than Frank wants their children to know.
Meanwhile, Frank has become obsessed with the house he lived in as a boy on the outskirts of town, where a young single mother, Shelley, is now raising her son. For Shelley, Frank’s repeated visits begin to trigger memories of her own family, memories that she’d hoped to keep buried. Because, after all, not all parents are ones you wish to remember.
Empathetic and profound, this novel from master storyteller Jill McCorkle deconstructs and reconstructs what it means to be a father or a mother, and to be a child trying to know your parents—a child learning to make sense of the hieroglyphics of history and memory.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2020
372 people are currently reading
8757 people want to read
About the author
Jill McCorkle
54 books368 followersFive of Jill McCorkle's seven previous books have been named New York Times Notables. Winner of the New England Booksellers Award, the Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature, she has taught writing at the University of North Carolina, Bennington College, Tufts University, and Harvard. She lives near Boston with her husband, their two children, several dogs, and a collection of toads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
September 12, 2020
“Hieroglyphics” is a stunningly emotional story of four characters: a husband and a wife, and a single mother and her young son. The connection of the four is a house, a dilapidated house where Frank, the husband, grew-up in and is now the house that the single mother, Shelly and her young son Harvey lives. Each character has their chapters which provide their hidden lives and thoughts.
At first, the chapters seem to be independent accounts or vignettes with the only connection being that Frank wants to take a trip down memory lane and see his childhood home. Shelly is a single mother who is a court reporter (not a member of the press; the court reporter who records courtroom proceedings). Because of the nature of her job, she hears how criminals sneak into lives and pillage, rape and murder victims. There is NO way he’s letting a man, even if he is in his eighties, frail, and seemingly harmless, enter her home.
Lil’s, Frank’s wife, chapters are in the form of diary entries and notes. Lil lost her mother when Lili was young so she never understood her mother as a person. As a result, Lil wants to leave her children her own personal information that could shed light into who Lil was as a person, and how she developed into the person she came to be. From Lil’s accounts, the reader gets glimpses into her marriage, her struggles, her needs.
Little Harvey is sweet and a bit quirky. He has a fascination with death and serial killers, from stories his older brother told him about Lizzie Borden, the Menendez brothers, and other urban legends. His obsessions result in trouble at school when he decides to impart his knowledge with other primary school children.
Shelly is working in a court case where a man is up for murdering his lover. The details are chilling and Shelly loathes the defendant. Yet, while working she struggles with worry and Harvey. Her job is in peril when her concerns for Harvey contributes to an embarrassing mistake.
Frank provides a real-time account of his interest in his childhood home and his ruminations of his past.
The chapters seem to float around, without a string of connection. The chapters seem to wander in time and place. The same incident is mentioned in different characters chapters, but at different times. I was duped into thinking this was a character study, a study of the intersection of different lives. At the end, the last chapter, I had to go back and re-read, re-examine, these innocuous chapters, and finally see the connections. For me, this story is subtle in its profound emotional impact. I loved it.
At first, the chapters seem to be independent accounts or vignettes with the only connection being that Frank wants to take a trip down memory lane and see his childhood home. Shelly is a single mother who is a court reporter (not a member of the press; the court reporter who records courtroom proceedings). Because of the nature of her job, she hears how criminals sneak into lives and pillage, rape and murder victims. There is NO way he’s letting a man, even if he is in his eighties, frail, and seemingly harmless, enter her home.
Lil’s, Frank’s wife, chapters are in the form of diary entries and notes. Lil lost her mother when Lili was young so she never understood her mother as a person. As a result, Lil wants to leave her children her own personal information that could shed light into who Lil was as a person, and how she developed into the person she came to be. From Lil’s accounts, the reader gets glimpses into her marriage, her struggles, her needs.
Little Harvey is sweet and a bit quirky. He has a fascination with death and serial killers, from stories his older brother told him about Lizzie Borden, the Menendez brothers, and other urban legends. His obsessions result in trouble at school when he decides to impart his knowledge with other primary school children.
Shelly is working in a court case where a man is up for murdering his lover. The details are chilling and Shelly loathes the defendant. Yet, while working she struggles with worry and Harvey. Her job is in peril when her concerns for Harvey contributes to an embarrassing mistake.
Frank provides a real-time account of his interest in his childhood home and his ruminations of his past.
The chapters seem to float around, without a string of connection. The chapters seem to wander in time and place. The same incident is mentioned in different characters chapters, but at different times. I was duped into thinking this was a character study, a study of the intersection of different lives. At the end, the last chapter, I had to go back and re-read, re-examine, these innocuous chapters, and finally see the connections. For me, this story is subtle in its profound emotional impact. I loved it.
December 12, 2024
One reviewer shared the following:
“This was a thought-provoking meditation on the fickleness and the resonance of memory.”
I will agree. It was a heavy and contemplative read.
After all...After a certain age, you begin to realize that life isn’t a neat and linear progression of memories. There are different perspectives. Disjointed “facts” and all sorts of illusions we tell ourselves to try and fill in the blanks of our lives.
There are four narratives (characters tied together in some way – I won’t give away plot) that seemed to be united through loss, tragedy and a search for meaning.
It is up to us as readers to decide how we want to navigate these lives and find a way to a thoughtful ending…or not.
“This was a thought-provoking meditation on the fickleness and the resonance of memory.”
I will agree. It was a heavy and contemplative read.
After all...After a certain age, you begin to realize that life isn’t a neat and linear progression of memories. There are different perspectives. Disjointed “facts” and all sorts of illusions we tell ourselves to try and fill in the blanks of our lives.
There are four narratives (characters tied together in some way – I won’t give away plot) that seemed to be united through loss, tragedy and a search for meaning.
It is up to us as readers to decide how we want to navigate these lives and find a way to a thoughtful ending…or not.
August 6, 2020
This was a thought-provoking meditation on the fickleness and the resonance of memory.
I’ve often remarked at how easily I can remember song lyrics from the 1980s, specific instances or people from my childhood, even what theaters I saw movies at (and with whom) years before, but I can’t remember why I walked into the kitchen or where I put my keys. Those same things would certainly be familiar to the characters of Jill McCorkle’s newest book, Hieroglyphics !
Frank and Lil have moved from Boston to North Carolina, ostensibly to be closer to their daughter. But both also suffer from health problems and are starting to have issues with memory.
Both Frank and Lil lost a parent tragically when they were young. It’s one of the things that connected them early on. And now the memories of their parents and the emotions around their loss seem fresher than what is currently happening around them.
As Lil sorts through papers and other mementos and junk she brought in the move in order to assemble some sort of record for their children of their lives and the decisions they made, Frank becomes more obsessed with visiting his childhood home, determined to find if he left something there years ago, and causing upheaval for Shelley, the woman who lives there, and her young son. Shelley has her share of issues with memories as well.
This was a poignant and well-written story, told by multiple narrators. It meandered a bit too much for me at times, but definitely resonated in many ways. I’ve always been a fan of McCorkle’s storytelling ability and her use of language, since her very first books.
I’m grateful to have been a part of the blog tour for this book. Algonquin Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
I’ve often remarked at how easily I can remember song lyrics from the 1980s, specific instances or people from my childhood, even what theaters I saw movies at (and with whom) years before, but I can’t remember why I walked into the kitchen or where I put my keys. Those same things would certainly be familiar to the characters of Jill McCorkle’s newest book, Hieroglyphics !
Frank and Lil have moved from Boston to North Carolina, ostensibly to be closer to their daughter. But both also suffer from health problems and are starting to have issues with memory.
Both Frank and Lil lost a parent tragically when they were young. It’s one of the things that connected them early on. And now the memories of their parents and the emotions around their loss seem fresher than what is currently happening around them.
As Lil sorts through papers and other mementos and junk she brought in the move in order to assemble some sort of record for their children of their lives and the decisions they made, Frank becomes more obsessed with visiting his childhood home, determined to find if he left something there years ago, and causing upheaval for Shelley, the woman who lives there, and her young son. Shelley has her share of issues with memories as well.
This was a poignant and well-written story, told by multiple narrators. It meandered a bit too much for me at times, but definitely resonated in many ways. I’ve always been a fan of McCorkle’s storytelling ability and her use of language, since her very first books.
I’m grateful to have been a part of the blog tour for this book. Algonquin Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
August 13, 2020
Hieroglyphics beautifully examines connections of the past and their effect on the present through three seemingly different perspectives. Frank and Lil, married for over fifty years, have relocated in their "golden years" to North Carolina ostensibly to be near their daughter, moving to the same facility Jill McCorkle used in Life After Life, her previous novel. Over 70 years before, Frank at age 10 had been uprooted and relocated to the very same town as a result of a fatal train crash, one based in history.
Obsessed with gaining access to the house he lived in during that time, he makes haunting visits, upsetting for various reasons Shelley and Harvey, a single mother and her imaginative son, the house's current occupants. As with her previous book, McCorkle fleshes out the past of the two elder characters in ways that are truly original, and meanwhile has set a course for Shelley, proving that similarities abound in the human condition that span decades. The plot, spun out via combinations of first and third person narratives, contains surprises and unexpected revelations. Highly recommended.
Obsessed with gaining access to the house he lived in during that time, he makes haunting visits, upsetting for various reasons Shelley and Harvey, a single mother and her imaginative son, the house's current occupants. As with her previous book, McCorkle fleshes out the past of the two elder characters in ways that are truly original, and meanwhile has set a course for Shelley, proving that similarities abound in the human condition that span decades. The plot, spun out via combinations of first and third person narratives, contains surprises and unexpected revelations. Highly recommended.
November 11, 2020
You can read my review on my blog: Here!.
This took me FOREVER but I’m so glad to finally be finished. 2.5 rounded down. This just did not do it for me. Parts I enjoyed but most of it dragged for me. I understand why and how some people will really love this and be touched by how it deals with family. I just wasn’t the right person for this one.
This took me FOREVER but I’m so glad to finally be finished. 2.5 rounded down. This just did not do it for me. Parts I enjoyed but most of it dragged for me. I understand why and how some people will really love this and be touched by how it deals with family. I just wasn’t the right person for this one.
June 3, 2020
After a certain age, you begin to realize that life isn’t a neat and linear progression of memories, but rather a series of disjointed artifacts, rituals, and language that make that life take shape. Digging a little deeper, you understand something else: that often, the story of your life is easier to fall into than your own life.
This is a mature work by a profound author, and more than once I stopped and wondered if I would have appreciated it if I were, say, 20 or 30 or even 40 years of age. The honest answer is, I’m not sure. But at this point, it resonated strongly.
The narrative, told in first and in third person, is advanced by four key characters: Lil, who uses epistolary entries to review a long life that began in Massachusetts and ended in North Carolina. Her husband Frank, a retired professor, is similarly examining his life as he determines to revisit the home that figured prominently in his childhood. That home is owned by Shelley, a court reporter and a single mother and her son Harvey, a troubled boy with a repaired cleft palate who is consumed with visions of ghosts and mass murderers.
At first, the connection among these four characters is nebulous. But slowly, we begin to realize that they are united by loss and tragedy and a search for meaning. Threaded through this search are intimations of death: past losses (Lil fears that her memory has gone but keeps saying “it’s not that it has gone but simply that I have run out of space.”) Frank is as obsessed with his father’s death in the Rennert, NC 1943 train wreck and as young Harvey is with his coterie of discontent ghosts. And Shelley, too, is harboring a secret that continues to cause her pain.
The novel is a finely wrought deconstruction of lives that are lived partially in shadow with occasional artifacts that shine light on each person’s carefully protected psyche. Jill McCorkle mines the hieroglyphics that define us and maybe, just maybe, offer a chance of redemption.
This is a mature work by a profound author, and more than once I stopped and wondered if I would have appreciated it if I were, say, 20 or 30 or even 40 years of age. The honest answer is, I’m not sure. But at this point, it resonated strongly.
The narrative, told in first and in third person, is advanced by four key characters: Lil, who uses epistolary entries to review a long life that began in Massachusetts and ended in North Carolina. Her husband Frank, a retired professor, is similarly examining his life as he determines to revisit the home that figured prominently in his childhood. That home is owned by Shelley, a court reporter and a single mother and her son Harvey, a troubled boy with a repaired cleft palate who is consumed with visions of ghosts and mass murderers.
At first, the connection among these four characters is nebulous. But slowly, we begin to realize that they are united by loss and tragedy and a search for meaning. Threaded through this search are intimations of death: past losses (Lil fears that her memory has gone but keeps saying “it’s not that it has gone but simply that I have run out of space.”) Frank is as obsessed with his father’s death in the Rennert, NC 1943 train wreck and as young Harvey is with his coterie of discontent ghosts. And Shelley, too, is harboring a secret that continues to cause her pain.
The novel is a finely wrought deconstruction of lives that are lived partially in shadow with occasional artifacts that shine light on each person’s carefully protected psyche. Jill McCorkle mines the hieroglyphics that define us and maybe, just maybe, offer a chance of redemption.
August 1, 2020
Reflections on memory, the layers of self that make up who we are, and the sense of mortality at the heart of what it means to be human. This was a heavy and contemplative read.
Writing: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★ (a little slow for me)
Hieroglyphics has a title that makes you think of history. And not just any history, but ancient history. This was clearly intentional, and also relied on the other aspect of a hieroglyphic: the fact that they're pictures displaying stories, the written word, and that their interpretation varies.
My standard review format seems off in this case. It's not a standard novel.
Imagine if you could walk through the mind of your grandmother, your grandfather. What would you see? A haze of distant memories, maybe. Or a winding path cluttered on either side with the small details of millions of moments. Or, just maybe, the space is crystal clear: everything in its place, everything lovingly polished with the element of remembering.
This novel follows the story of an elderly couple, Lil and Frank, and their continuous musings on what it means to remember, what is important about what they're remembering, and how they want to be remembered. If that sounds like a twisting, continuous loop—you'd be right. By the end of this novel I felt like I WAS Lil and Frank. I'd lived their memories and breathed their thoughts and felt the core of their beings from page to page. McCorkle's writing is phenomenal in this, even when she's scraping apart her characters skin layer by skin layer to expose them to the elements of time.
Another element of this novel was Shelley, a woman younger than Lil and Frank, but no less focused on her own memories, pasts, and looping concepts of life. She's the current owner of Frank's childhood home, and when Frank stops by to ask her to let him wander about—to remember, obviously—she doesn't let him in because of her own reasons. This relationship develops through long vignettes of Shelley's experience, her son Harvey's experience and his feelings about ghosts, and through Frank and Lil themselves.
An interesting, thought provoking read that's meant to make us hyper aware of not only our mortality, but also of that old phrase: When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.
Thank you to Algonquin Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
Writing: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★ (a little slow for me)
Hieroglyphics has a title that makes you think of history. And not just any history, but ancient history. This was clearly intentional, and also relied on the other aspect of a hieroglyphic: the fact that they're pictures displaying stories, the written word, and that their interpretation varies.
My standard review format seems off in this case. It's not a standard novel.
Imagine if you could walk through the mind of your grandmother, your grandfather. What would you see? A haze of distant memories, maybe. Or a winding path cluttered on either side with the small details of millions of moments. Or, just maybe, the space is crystal clear: everything in its place, everything lovingly polished with the element of remembering.
This novel follows the story of an elderly couple, Lil and Frank, and their continuous musings on what it means to remember, what is important about what they're remembering, and how they want to be remembered. If that sounds like a twisting, continuous loop—you'd be right. By the end of this novel I felt like I WAS Lil and Frank. I'd lived their memories and breathed their thoughts and felt the core of their beings from page to page. McCorkle's writing is phenomenal in this, even when she's scraping apart her characters skin layer by skin layer to expose them to the elements of time.
Another element of this novel was Shelley, a woman younger than Lil and Frank, but no less focused on her own memories, pasts, and looping concepts of life. She's the current owner of Frank's childhood home, and when Frank stops by to ask her to let him wander about—to remember, obviously—she doesn't let him in because of her own reasons. This relationship develops through long vignettes of Shelley's experience, her son Harvey's experience and his feelings about ghosts, and through Frank and Lil themselves.
An interesting, thought provoking read that's meant to make us hyper aware of not only our mortality, but also of that old phrase: When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground.
Thank you to Algonquin Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blog | Instagram
April 23, 2022
[3.4] I struggled with this novel and at times found the glacial pace enervating. At one point, I decided not to finish but then was drawn back into it. I appreciated the way the story came together, through layers of memories, gradually revealing more and more about Lil and Frank and Shelley.
February 10, 2023
I was completely absorbed while reading this mesmerizing book, "Hieroglyphics." It tells the story of four people, who are each coping with earlier traumas. Lil and Frank began dating in college and were surprised to learn that each of them had lost a parent to a tragic accident when young. This shared experience formed the basis of their attraction to each other. Shelley is a much younger woman who happens to live in the same house as Frank's family did, while he was growing up in North Carolina. She is raising two sons, Harvey and Jason. Shelley grew up with a father who was physically abusive to her. Now her young son Harvey is showing signs of troubled behavior. Harvey does not understand where his dad is and when he is coming home.
The story is told from differing points of views, with each character narrating in alternating chapters. The time period spans the 1950's through 2017. Events are looked at in nonlinear ways. Lil especially, is a nonlinear thinker. Her mind travels naturally from the present to the past and back again. She enjoys writing journal entries as well as collecting keepsakes that explain her life and experiences. Ostensibly, she is recording these things to pass down to her children. A positive is that Lil's writing helps her cope with her mother's premature death. One letter that she writes her husband Frank, motivates him to keep living while the stresses of heart problems weigh him down.
Frank and Lil marry and have a solid marriage. He becomes a professor of archeology. He gets absorbed in studying ancient civilizations and their artifacts. In certain ways, his work helps Frank find meaning in his life. Thoughts about his own father's untimely death never leave him.
Shelley works as a court stenographer. She records trials of violent crimes, which is a poor choice of work for her. Gradually we learn more about her childhood and parents and brother. Unlike Lil and Frank, she has trained herself to block out her unhappy memories. She also has developed alternate explanations of her life, not wanting to admit the truth to others or herself. Wanting to be a good mother, Shelley is also concerned about her young son Harvey. The camp director keeps calling Shelley about Harvey's unusual (gory) comments to the other children at camp.
There is so much more to the stories of the characters. I leave it to other readers to discover for themselves the rest of this many layered story.
The story is told from differing points of views, with each character narrating in alternating chapters. The time period spans the 1950's through 2017. Events are looked at in nonlinear ways. Lil especially, is a nonlinear thinker. Her mind travels naturally from the present to the past and back again. She enjoys writing journal entries as well as collecting keepsakes that explain her life and experiences. Ostensibly, she is recording these things to pass down to her children. A positive is that Lil's writing helps her cope with her mother's premature death. One letter that she writes her husband Frank, motivates him to keep living while the stresses of heart problems weigh him down.
Frank and Lil marry and have a solid marriage. He becomes a professor of archeology. He gets absorbed in studying ancient civilizations and their artifacts. In certain ways, his work helps Frank find meaning in his life. Thoughts about his own father's untimely death never leave him.
Shelley works as a court stenographer. She records trials of violent crimes, which is a poor choice of work for her. Gradually we learn more about her childhood and parents and brother. Unlike Lil and Frank, she has trained herself to block out her unhappy memories. She also has developed alternate explanations of her life, not wanting to admit the truth to others or herself. Wanting to be a good mother, Shelley is also concerned about her young son Harvey. The camp director keeps calling Shelley about Harvey's unusual (gory) comments to the other children at camp.
There is so much more to the stories of the characters. I leave it to other readers to discover for themselves the rest of this many layered story.
May 7, 2020
Lil and Frank bonded over the fact that they both lost a parent in tragic accidents when they were children. Over the course of their 50 years together, both have lived acutely aware of the holes left by their missing parents and grieve life milestones missed.
“Lil liked to say maybe it was match made in tragedy, but they had built a beautiful and happy life on top of it. The knowledge and experience of tragedy groaned and heaved like an old furnace in the basement— and ultimately, sent waves of warmth that radiated and lit the good parts.” *
After living in Boston for many years, Lil and Frank retire close to their daughter in North Carolina, near the neighborhood where Frank lived when his father was alive.
Frank is focused on his childhood home and the things he left behind in the root cellar that connect him to the past.
Meanwhile, Lil spends her time gathering letters and diary entries from all the decades of her life to share her story with complete honesty, including things her children don’t know, much to Frank’s concern.
Frank visits his childhood home where a single mother named Shelley now lives with her son Harvey. He returns several times to ask if he can see inside his former home, leading Shelley to confront memories about her own family, which are far less fond.
Hieroglyphics examines every aspect of family, as a child and then as a parent: the mystery, the familiarity, the legacy we hope to leave, the wisdom we collect.
“As parents we pack your bags and strap them to your little backs before you are even old enough to carry them, and then you have to spend the rest of your life unpacking and figuring it all out. Sometimes, I feel I can see it all spread out in front of me—dates and patterns, a clear path emerging, the design, the words that might define me, carved in stone.” *
The writing is fantastic and the characters are fully realized, each with a unique voice that adds another layer to examine.
I recommend this book to readers who appreciate literary fiction that explores the complicated bonds of family.
Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Hieroglyphics is scheduled for release on July 28, 2020.
*Quotes included are from a digital advanced reader's copy and are subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
“Lil liked to say maybe it was match made in tragedy, but they had built a beautiful and happy life on top of it. The knowledge and experience of tragedy groaned and heaved like an old furnace in the basement— and ultimately, sent waves of warmth that radiated and lit the good parts.” *
After living in Boston for many years, Lil and Frank retire close to their daughter in North Carolina, near the neighborhood where Frank lived when his father was alive.
Frank is focused on his childhood home and the things he left behind in the root cellar that connect him to the past.
Meanwhile, Lil spends her time gathering letters and diary entries from all the decades of her life to share her story with complete honesty, including things her children don’t know, much to Frank’s concern.
Frank visits his childhood home where a single mother named Shelley now lives with her son Harvey. He returns several times to ask if he can see inside his former home, leading Shelley to confront memories about her own family, which are far less fond.
Hieroglyphics examines every aspect of family, as a child and then as a parent: the mystery, the familiarity, the legacy we hope to leave, the wisdom we collect.
“As parents we pack your bags and strap them to your little backs before you are even old enough to carry them, and then you have to spend the rest of your life unpacking and figuring it all out. Sometimes, I feel I can see it all spread out in front of me—dates and patterns, a clear path emerging, the design, the words that might define me, carved in stone.” *
The writing is fantastic and the characters are fully realized, each with a unique voice that adds another layer to examine.
I recommend this book to readers who appreciate literary fiction that explores the complicated bonds of family.
Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Hieroglyphics is scheduled for release on July 28, 2020.
*Quotes included are from a digital advanced reader's copy and are subject to change upon final publication.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
October 10, 2020
I wanted to like this book so much more, it really had a lot of potential. However it felt so disjointed and the characters were all over the place. I felt it hard to connect with any of them. Unfortunately, I skipped over Lil’s parts because I just found myself not interested.
July 11, 2020
And I guess that's why we hold on to our bits and pieces in the first place, because we aren't immortal, and though denial fills our days and years, especially those that have slipped away, that kernel of truth is always lodged within. We are all haunted by something-- ~from Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle
Through a dozen moves and the purges each involved, there were boxes that followed me. They remained sealed and taped in each successive basement, but I knew they were there for when I would need them.
The boxes held my diaries dating back to 1963 when I was ten, poems and unfinished novels I had written, scrapbooks and mementos.
There were other boxes, too. Boxes of photographs and slides, books owned by my grandfather or mother or father, my grandfather's papers and newspaper articles, directories and yearbooks, dad's memoirs, mom's medical history.
They were the 'bits and pieces' of my life and my parent's life and my grandfather's life.
I have always been a keeper of things. I see the trait in my family, especially keeping memories and telling stories of long ago.
In Jill McCorkle's new novel Hieroglyphics, Lil is eighty-five and worried about forgetting, but her childhood memories remain vivid and clear. "I can close my eyes and know every square inch," she says of her childhood home.
Oh, me, too! I dream of the 19th c farmhouse I grew up in. I know the view from every window by heart, the turning of the stairs, the weight of layers of blankets in the unheated bedroom.
"I am homesick and I am timesick...I miss all that no longer is," Lil says.
Lil is married to Frank, who is also haunted by the past, filled with "sadness and an awareness of the shadows." When he was ten years old his father died in a train wreck, extinguishing his mother's happiness. Frank is fixated on returning to his childhood home, hoping to find what he left behind.
Frank's childhood home is now occupied by single mom Shelley and her child Harvey. Harvey is fearful, misses his father, sees ghosts, and losses himself in an alter-ego superhero with a mustache that covers the scar from his cleft palate surgery. Shelley is a court reporter who is overinvolved with the trial, in trouble for writing her thoughts into the transcript.
Each character is struggling with the scars of their past. They have kept things secret, and they seek to understand the mystery of their parents.
This is a dense book, emotionally charged, with a story that opens like a night blooming flower. There is darkness, with some flashes of humor and light. It tugged at my heart. And it chilled me with recognition and the knowledge that in the blink of an eye I will be Lil, leaving behind those boxes of diaries.
I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Through a dozen moves and the purges each involved, there were boxes that followed me. They remained sealed and taped in each successive basement, but I knew they were there for when I would need them.
The boxes held my diaries dating back to 1963 when I was ten, poems and unfinished novels I had written, scrapbooks and mementos.
There were other boxes, too. Boxes of photographs and slides, books owned by my grandfather or mother or father, my grandfather's papers and newspaper articles, directories and yearbooks, dad's memoirs, mom's medical history.
They were the 'bits and pieces' of my life and my parent's life and my grandfather's life.
I have always been a keeper of things. I see the trait in my family, especially keeping memories and telling stories of long ago.
In Jill McCorkle's new novel Hieroglyphics, Lil is eighty-five and worried about forgetting, but her childhood memories remain vivid and clear. "I can close my eyes and know every square inch," she says of her childhood home.
Oh, me, too! I dream of the 19th c farmhouse I grew up in. I know the view from every window by heart, the turning of the stairs, the weight of layers of blankets in the unheated bedroom.
"I am homesick and I am timesick...I miss all that no longer is," Lil says.
Lil is married to Frank, who is also haunted by the past, filled with "sadness and an awareness of the shadows." When he was ten years old his father died in a train wreck, extinguishing his mother's happiness. Frank is fixated on returning to his childhood home, hoping to find what he left behind.
Frank's childhood home is now occupied by single mom Shelley and her child Harvey. Harvey is fearful, misses his father, sees ghosts, and losses himself in an alter-ego superhero with a mustache that covers the scar from his cleft palate surgery. Shelley is a court reporter who is overinvolved with the trial, in trouble for writing her thoughts into the transcript.
Each character is struggling with the scars of their past. They have kept things secret, and they seek to understand the mystery of their parents.
This is a dense book, emotionally charged, with a story that opens like a night blooming flower. There is darkness, with some flashes of humor and light. It tugged at my heart. And it chilled me with recognition and the knowledge that in the blink of an eye I will be Lil, leaving behind those boxes of diaries.
I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
May 8, 2021
Jill McCorkle writes a captivating story that is powerful, emotional and deeply moving, about ordinary people trying to make sense of their life, the stories that shape them, and what they leave as legacy to their children.
The story is centered on Lil and Frank, both retirees from Boston moving to North Carolina to be closer to their daughter, and Shelley a court reporter and her troubled son Harvey. The story is told in their POVs and just like our memories and personal stories, they are remembered sporadically and non linear. I thought this was really creative way of storytelling that is immersive and sentimental.
McCorkle is a brilliant writer and storyteller. I enjoyed this fantastic read.
The story is centered on Lil and Frank, both retirees from Boston moving to North Carolina to be closer to their daughter, and Shelley a court reporter and her troubled son Harvey. The story is told in their POVs and just like our memories and personal stories, they are remembered sporadically and non linear. I thought this was really creative way of storytelling that is immersive and sentimental.
McCorkle is a brilliant writer and storyteller. I enjoyed this fantastic read.
did-not-finish
November 15, 2020Did just over half of this on audio and decided to stop. Some good writing here, and I deeply loved one of the main characters, Lill, until her character too began to suffer from what diminished the rest of the novel: too many traumas, too much navel-gazing, an over-written overly-writerly preoccupation with language and documents and self-expression.
May 20, 2021
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3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Bokos for inviting me to read Hieroglyphics and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A review will be up on my blog on May 20, 2021 at 10 am CST on Honey Roselea Reads for you guys to check out!
My review on Hieroglyphics will be accessible using this link from May 20, 2021 at 10 am CST and onward.
For now, here is a preview to what the review will look like:
❀❀❀❀
After retiring to North Carolina, Lil is determined to leave letters, diaries, and notes to her and her husband Frank's children. While Lil is determined to do that, Frank is determined to find what has been left behind his childhood home which is now owned by Shelley and her son. These visits from Frank trigger memories from Shelley's own past with her family, ones that she doesn't want to surface.
I gave Hieroglyphics 3.5 stars, enjoying the way this story was told and the emotions of family that ran through each word. I enjoyed the story behind Lil's determination to leave... [ continue reading ]
July 3, 2020
Book: Hieroglyphics
Author: Jill McCorkle
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Books, for providing me with an ARC.
I think this book could have been good, but there was something about it that just didn’t sit well for me. It was hard to follow and there was really no clear concept of time. I normally do enjoy books that follow characters throughout their lives, but the way this one was presented, it was kind of confusing. Plus, it felt like there was a deep disconnect between what was actually happening in the book. It felt like everything was just going through the motions.
Let’s talk about characters. This book follows four point of views: Frank, Shelly, Harvey, and Lil. All of them dealt with some kind of trauma and are struggling to heal from it. We get to experience their fears, concerns, and grief. This should have been a very moving book, but it wasn’t. The characters were all flat and felt repetitive. I honestly had a heard time connecting with them and keeping them straight. With only four characters, remembering everyone should have been a breeze, but it wasn’t. There needs to be more character development and, I don’t know, there just needs to be a reason as to why I should care about them and their troubles. I mean, all of them have had something awful happen to them and, yet, this pain and grief just did not come off the page-which means there was a problem with the plot.
It should come as no surprise that I had a really hard time connecting with the plot. I honestly can’t even tell you what the plot was. It was so messy and confusing. I thought that it was about a couple moving into a house and looking at all of the changes, but I’m not sure. The time jumps made it so difficult to actually keep track of just what was going on. There needs to be a clear understanding of time to the reader or the reader will not be able to connect wit this book.
I guess that what I’m getting at is that I had a hard time connecting with the book. I really wanted to enjoy it, but if I can’t make a connection with a book, then it is going to be a miss for me. I just read Prairie Fever by Michael Parker. Both books are very similar, but I felt like I was able to connect better that Prairie Fever. It’s all about the connection, guys, and if I can’t make that connection, then I’m not going to have a good time reading the book.
So, this title is out now. While this wasn’t for me, it may be for you.
Author: Jill McCorkle
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars
I would like to thank the publisher, Algonquin Books, for providing me with an ARC.
I think this book could have been good, but there was something about it that just didn’t sit well for me. It was hard to follow and there was really no clear concept of time. I normally do enjoy books that follow characters throughout their lives, but the way this one was presented, it was kind of confusing. Plus, it felt like there was a deep disconnect between what was actually happening in the book. It felt like everything was just going through the motions.
Let’s talk about characters. This book follows four point of views: Frank, Shelly, Harvey, and Lil. All of them dealt with some kind of trauma and are struggling to heal from it. We get to experience their fears, concerns, and grief. This should have been a very moving book, but it wasn’t. The characters were all flat and felt repetitive. I honestly had a heard time connecting with them and keeping them straight. With only four characters, remembering everyone should have been a breeze, but it wasn’t. There needs to be more character development and, I don’t know, there just needs to be a reason as to why I should care about them and their troubles. I mean, all of them have had something awful happen to them and, yet, this pain and grief just did not come off the page-which means there was a problem with the plot.
It should come as no surprise that I had a really hard time connecting with the plot. I honestly can’t even tell you what the plot was. It was so messy and confusing. I thought that it was about a couple moving into a house and looking at all of the changes, but I’m not sure. The time jumps made it so difficult to actually keep track of just what was going on. There needs to be a clear understanding of time to the reader or the reader will not be able to connect wit this book.
I guess that what I’m getting at is that I had a hard time connecting with the book. I really wanted to enjoy it, but if I can’t make a connection with a book, then it is going to be a miss for me. I just read Prairie Fever by Michael Parker. Both books are very similar, but I felt like I was able to connect better that Prairie Fever. It’s all about the connection, guys, and if I can’t make that connection, then I’m not going to have a good time reading the book.
So, this title is out now. While this wasn’t for me, it may be for you.
March 21, 2021
Lil and Frank have moved from Boston to North Carolina to be close to their daughter. Their health is failing and they are each seeking to reconcile with the grief of their pasts. Both lost a parent in tragic accidents, a connection that has bonded them through the years. For Frank being in North Carolina is a return to where his father died in a train accident and his mother was badly injured. She later remarried and settled in North Carolina, despite Frank's yearning for his previous life. Frank returns to this home to unearth some treasures and memories he left behind. There he meets Shelley, a single mother, and her young son Harvey. Shelley refuses to let Frank in despite his numerous visits, yet his visits bring about memories Shelley has long tried to forget. It is their pain that connects them.
Told in the alternating voices of Frank, Lil, Shelley and Harvey, slowly revealing secrets, longings and life lessons. An emotionally driven story that for me had a melancholy feel to it, though I loved Lil's dairy entries and musings.
Told in the alternating voices of Frank, Lil, Shelley and Harvey, slowly revealing secrets, longings and life lessons. An emotionally driven story that for me had a melancholy feel to it, though I loved Lil's dairy entries and musings.
July 28, 2020
There are some really wonderful books that are told from varying perspectives where everything gets tied together in the end. Unfortunately, “Hieroglyphics” is not one of them. I kept waiting for the moment when I would feel the threads of grief and loss unite the characters and their journeys. But that moment never arrived for me.
Jill McCorkle’s novel is told from four points of view: Frank, a man whose life was turned upside down when his father died in a train accident when he was still just a boy; his wife, Lil, who similarly lost her mother in the famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in the 1940s; Shelley, a young mother living in the home Frank used to reside in; and Harvey, Shelley’s little boy whose imagination (and obsession with serial killers) often gets him in trouble. Most of the story is pretty straightforward and most of it is told in accounts of events that happened in the past. But Lil’s story is relayed through notes she’s left for her children and her journals. With this choice, the action of the story jumps around quite a bit through many different decades, which made the plot feel disjointed to me.
My main issue is that I never felt a steady tie that made these character’s stories feel relevant to each other. It was never clear to me why Shelley and Harvey’s stories even belonged in the same book as Frank and Lil’s. There were so many jumps in time that made it difficult to follow along. This form of storytelling was even more disappointing when I got to the end of the book and there were still so many unanswered questions in my mind. There was also a weird quirk where random bits of information were mentioned multiple times – I couldn’t tell whether these repetitive parts were a stylistic choice or just mistakes.
The part of the novel that felt the strongest (and most interesting) to me were the accounts of the deaths of Frank and Lil’s parents. Because both of the events actually happened (the nightclub fire and the train accident), the moments being described felt authentic and intriguing. I almost wish the book had focused solely on these two children and what they experienced rather than what they were like as married adults.
I wanted so badly to love this novel. It’s totally possible that I just missed the symbolism and broader themes that were meant to be there. But, nevertheless, I won’t be raving about this one to anyone.
*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*
Jill McCorkle’s novel is told from four points of view: Frank, a man whose life was turned upside down when his father died in a train accident when he was still just a boy; his wife, Lil, who similarly lost her mother in the famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in the 1940s; Shelley, a young mother living in the home Frank used to reside in; and Harvey, Shelley’s little boy whose imagination (and obsession with serial killers) often gets him in trouble. Most of the story is pretty straightforward and most of it is told in accounts of events that happened in the past. But Lil’s story is relayed through notes she’s left for her children and her journals. With this choice, the action of the story jumps around quite a bit through many different decades, which made the plot feel disjointed to me.
My main issue is that I never felt a steady tie that made these character’s stories feel relevant to each other. It was never clear to me why Shelley and Harvey’s stories even belonged in the same book as Frank and Lil’s. There were so many jumps in time that made it difficult to follow along. This form of storytelling was even more disappointing when I got to the end of the book and there were still so many unanswered questions in my mind. There was also a weird quirk where random bits of information were mentioned multiple times – I couldn’t tell whether these repetitive parts were a stylistic choice or just mistakes.
The part of the novel that felt the strongest (and most interesting) to me were the accounts of the deaths of Frank and Lil’s parents. Because both of the events actually happened (the nightclub fire and the train accident), the moments being described felt authentic and intriguing. I almost wish the book had focused solely on these two children and what they experienced rather than what they were like as married adults.
I wanted so badly to love this novel. It’s totally possible that I just missed the symbolism and broader themes that were meant to be there. But, nevertheless, I won’t be raving about this one to anyone.
*Free ARC provided by Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review*
August 20, 2020
Navel gazing, page after page after page of indulgent navel gazing by dull characters
July 30, 2020
Thank you Algonquin for a complimentary copy and for including me on the book tour. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Hieroglyphics
By: Jill McCorkle
REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
I have a love/hate relationship with Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle. This story is expertly crafted in a non linear narrative with multiple points of view. It is so insightful, compelling and thought provoking that it astounds me. But, the subject matter is heavy, bleak and leaning towards dark much more than light. I'm torn because the author did fabulous work, but the story is so depressing to me. The nature of life and death, legacies, memory and the past are all haunting in some way. When I read this type of story, melancholy sets in, but the author's skill merits more than the sadness I feel. I think going in blind is better, so I'll just say don't expect rainbows. You can, however, expect, a sense of loss and longing looking back on your own life. I recommend for more studious and mature readers.
Hieroglyphics
By: Jill McCorkle
REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
I have a love/hate relationship with Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle. This story is expertly crafted in a non linear narrative with multiple points of view. It is so insightful, compelling and thought provoking that it astounds me. But, the subject matter is heavy, bleak and leaning towards dark much more than light. I'm torn because the author did fabulous work, but the story is so depressing to me. The nature of life and death, legacies, memory and the past are all haunting in some way. When I read this type of story, melancholy sets in, but the author's skill merits more than the sadness I feel. I think going in blind is better, so I'll just say don't expect rainbows. You can, however, expect, a sense of loss and longing looking back on your own life. I recommend for more studious and mature readers.
August 13, 2020
RATING: 4 STARS
2020; Algonquin Books
Hieroglyphics is a difficult book to describe. It is beautifully written with such realism and emotion. I will say that I would describe this novel as a character study rather than plot driven. It all begins with a house that ties the characters, and families together. While it is a contemporary story, the characters, depending on the ages, do go back in time with memories. It reminded me a bit of Olive Kitteridge but the characters's stories repeat in this novel. Based on this book I have put Life After Life on hold. I would compare her writing style to Sue Miller, Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler or Jennifer Haigh. It's a novel with more than a story. You get to know the characters and feel their emotions. I highly recommend this novel for those that want to get lost for awhile.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2020; Algonquin Books
Hieroglyphics is a difficult book to describe. It is beautifully written with such realism and emotion. I will say that I would describe this novel as a character study rather than plot driven. It all begins with a house that ties the characters, and families together. While it is a contemporary story, the characters, depending on the ages, do go back in time with memories. It reminded me a bit of Olive Kitteridge but the characters's stories repeat in this novel. Based on this book I have put Life After Life on hold. I would compare her writing style to Sue Miller, Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler or Jennifer Haigh. It's a novel with more than a story. You get to know the characters and feel their emotions. I highly recommend this novel for those that want to get lost for awhile.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
April 21, 2020
Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle was different. I had a difficult time getting into and following the storylines. While the book delves into memory and history, it was too scattered and all over the place for me. This was a fine read - I just didn’t personally connect with it... I’m scattered in my own thoughts now having finished the book, trying to piece together what I just read. Perhaps the point of the novel, but it’s left me a bit unsatisfied and unsettled. A big thank you to Goodreads and Algonquin Books for the ARC!
September 13, 2020
So many people are reading and loving this book, and I didn’t love it nearly as much. I am a sucker for anything that involves letters and diary entries and just characters writing in general, and there is plenty of that in this book. I did not think it was particularly well crafted, though. I especially couldn’t get a sense of some of the organizational decision-making. Why are we moving back and forth in these ways, both in inter- and intra-chapter organization? I thought Ann Napolitano’s _Dear Edward_ was a much better example of how to use written artifacts and a real-life transportation accident, to weave a compelling story of grief and recovery.
August 27, 2020
When a novel receives starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist, it gets my attention. Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle deserves those stars. And more. It's a graceful book that captures your imagination with honest emotion and authentic characters, each struggling with his or her own troubled history. How do we survive the memories of those who did not survive? Jill confronts this question with insight, gentle wit, and plenty of compassion.
January 29, 2021
I found Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle to be so evocative that I had to step away several times while reading to grapple with various phrases or passages that really hit me.
This novel is a character-driven, slow burn with a non-linear structure. What I loved most was making sense of who each character was as they attempted to make sense themselves.
If you have read and loved fellow 2020 release, Writers and Lovers by Lily King, then you need to run and pick up this novel. Both novels explore life, mortality, and grief in such profound ways. Both will leave you in a quiet awe.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
This novel is a character-driven, slow burn with a non-linear structure. What I loved most was making sense of who each character was as they attempted to make sense themselves.
If you have read and loved fellow 2020 release, Writers and Lovers by Lily King, then you need to run and pick up this novel. Both novels explore life, mortality, and grief in such profound ways. Both will leave you in a quiet awe.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
January 15, 2021
This book started off good.. then it is just the same thing.. diary entries by a couple in their 80s.. reminiscing on their life.. over 300 pages of the same thing.. please don't waste your time
January 17, 2022
What was the point!!! This book had way too many characters and it seemed that it never got to a point. When the ending came, I had such relief that the misery was finally over.
July 30, 2020
RTC Blog Tour - July 31
July 31, 2020
Thank you so much to Jill and Algonquin for including me on the blog tour for Hieroglyphics! While this isn’t quite in my typical scope, I found it raw and emotional, captivating and tragic, while remaining hopeful and resilient.
The synopsis per the publisher is as follows: HIEROGLYPHICS is a moving journey through years of love and loss, truths and half-truths, and an original exploration of what we can and cannot know about the past. Lil and Frank, who each lost a parent when still a child, wed young and have aged along with their enduring marriage. Moving “home” to North Carolina after years in Boston, the retired couple faces a return to before: Lil begins sifting through letters and diaries to edit her history before passing it on to her children; Frank becomes obsessed with his childhood house, now occupied by a young single mother. At the heart of the matter is that each still yearns to understand more about the parents they lost too young. As McCorkle investigates how memory and truth are often cobbled out of bits and pieces left behind—receipts, letters, graffiti, words spoken, especially those last ones left to interpretation—she contemplates all that we can never know about the people in our lives.
What I loved most about this book is the nostalgia of it all. And how nostalgia is ultimately bittersweet and seen through rose-colored lenses. It is very much a look at how our past defines us and what we do with it.
This book is told from multiple perspectives – our main characters, Frank and Lil, as well as Shelley and her son Harvey. Frank grew up in the house that Shelley and Harvey currently live in which causes the stories intersect, however they remain for the most part two separate stories living under one roof. I was most drawn to Lil and Shelley’s chapters. I am a sucker for epistolary novels, and while this probably isn’t considered to be one, Lil’s chapters are told mostly from a journalistic perspective. I also found Lil and Shelley’s stories to be the most emotional. As a nostalgic person, there’s nothing I enjoy more than items reminiscent of the past. And much like Lil, I can remember the weirdest details of things that happened 20 years ago but can’t remember to grab my wallet when I leave for the store (bless you, Apple Pay). Lil is obsessed with keeping the past alive while Shelley wants nothing but to forget and move away from hers. Oddly enough, I found both of these stories very relatable.
If you’re looking for a high-paced story with a clear beginning, middle, end, then Hieroglyphics is not the pick for you. But if you’re looking for a thought-provoking tragic yet hopeful look at how loss molds our lives for better or worse and how we carry our past with us, then I highly recommend grabbing this one as soon as possible.
The synopsis per the publisher is as follows: HIEROGLYPHICS is a moving journey through years of love and loss, truths and half-truths, and an original exploration of what we can and cannot know about the past. Lil and Frank, who each lost a parent when still a child, wed young and have aged along with their enduring marriage. Moving “home” to North Carolina after years in Boston, the retired couple faces a return to before: Lil begins sifting through letters and diaries to edit her history before passing it on to her children; Frank becomes obsessed with his childhood house, now occupied by a young single mother. At the heart of the matter is that each still yearns to understand more about the parents they lost too young. As McCorkle investigates how memory and truth are often cobbled out of bits and pieces left behind—receipts, letters, graffiti, words spoken, especially those last ones left to interpretation—she contemplates all that we can never know about the people in our lives.
What I loved most about this book is the nostalgia of it all. And how nostalgia is ultimately bittersweet and seen through rose-colored lenses. It is very much a look at how our past defines us and what we do with it.
This book is told from multiple perspectives – our main characters, Frank and Lil, as well as Shelley and her son Harvey. Frank grew up in the house that Shelley and Harvey currently live in which causes the stories intersect, however they remain for the most part two separate stories living under one roof. I was most drawn to Lil and Shelley’s chapters. I am a sucker for epistolary novels, and while this probably isn’t considered to be one, Lil’s chapters are told mostly from a journalistic perspective. I also found Lil and Shelley’s stories to be the most emotional. As a nostalgic person, there’s nothing I enjoy more than items reminiscent of the past. And much like Lil, I can remember the weirdest details of things that happened 20 years ago but can’t remember to grab my wallet when I leave for the store (bless you, Apple Pay). Lil is obsessed with keeping the past alive while Shelley wants nothing but to forget and move away from hers. Oddly enough, I found both of these stories very relatable.
If you’re looking for a high-paced story with a clear beginning, middle, end, then Hieroglyphics is not the pick for you. But if you’re looking for a thought-provoking tragic yet hopeful look at how loss molds our lives for better or worse and how we carry our past with us, then I highly recommend grabbing this one as soon as possible.
January 15, 2020
Family and memory are shaped and reshaped by each other in this warm, attentive, and ultimately hopeful exploration of childhood and parenthood, through the pasts and presents of Lil, Frank, and Shelley.
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