bobbygw ’s Reviews > Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life > Status Update

Are you enjoying this one?

Well, I'm intrigued by it. And grateful for the deep insights she offers of formative experiences in study, writing, and of an important personal relationship.

It's radically different in style to her other writings, as you'd expect from what is a deeply personal, poetic memoir of her young life and growing passions.

But the writing for me is too stylised: she has two narratives throughout: one that is in the third person present tense, always italicised text to signpost it, that accounts for key memories (in non-chronological order, as with her Bone Black memoir) that have helped shape her as a writer. Sadly these don't work for me as I think her usual style is better for being so clear and direct and compelling.

The other narrative is the main text reflecting her thoughts and story of her university years where her voice and inclusive identity of race and gender and class are not recognised and effectively silenced by her peers and professors. Also of her first authentic partner/lover and their relationship and the nature and influence of that. This storyline is told in a much more straightforward manner - and for me this is far more compelling as it's not contrived but direct - and beautifully told.

While it's all worthwhile so far (I'm only 100 pages in), the issue of two very different styles is, sadly, jarring and incongruous and unfortunately for me it it doesn't really work as a whole.

I confess I'm much more deeply moved, impressed by and committed to her feminist theorizing and praxis than her memoirs.

How do you feel about her body of memoir writing compared with her other work? I wonder whether I'm being too harsh/unfair about hooks' different personal, poetic used style in the former.