Our Burden's Light

by Patrick Thomas Casey

[jamiereadthis]

Because I always play favorites, the story in the middle— Caleb, Summer, Kelly, and the dogs— is fantastic, my favorite. Most are loose vignettes, but there’s the one story of Hayden, Grant, and Evelyn that weaves all the way through. It’s more poetry than prose, vignettes on grief, sex, beauty, death.

One thing worth noting— maybe, maybe not— is how I started out reading this as southern lit, and after the first chapter everything was just jangling all wrong: things were said and done and assumptions were made that would never, ever be said, done, or made. But, I realized the error was mine. This wasn’t supposed to be set in the south. This just had loose (occasionally close, occasionally very loose) ties to Shenandoah. Once I reframed everything in the proper context, the Anyplace context— Suburbia, the Beltway, Manhattan, Metropolis— it didn’t jangle anymore.

“I don’t know, it’s a cultural thing, I suppose,” Ted says in one of the middle stories. I suppose it is, Ted.

And that’s what’s fascinating to me, what can change depending on our context of it, our culture. How there can be two books in one just by a little readjusting of perspectives. So many interesting discussions are to be had there. But, for now, just a big thanks to Melanie for the recommendation!