Instructions for Living: A Review

Laurie Blauner's Instructions for Living, her third novel—or novella (a form better suited to our shortening attention spans) tells the story of Gabrielle, a young woman who manages to keep her life together while the world crumbles around her. Gabrielle stays at home with her dysfunctional mother and her dying father who suffers from MLS. One day, Gabrielle meets the one-armed Miguel, crushed gardenia in his shirt pocket, rifling through her trash looking for objects to make toys for his children. They shake hands, his large chafed hand engulfing hers. After Miguel leaves, Gabrielle remembers: “Later that night I could smell gardenias as I made my parents' dinner, as I swatted at flies. I stopped my housework and smelled. He was still with me.”

Normally, these kind of passionate books are not my favorites (see disclaimer at end). But what makes Blauner such a good writer is that she not only gets in the head of Gabrielle, but Gabrielle has these poetic sensibilities—mainly a heightened sense of observation and skill of using her words evocatively and economically. This comes as no surprise since the Seattle-based Blauner has published six books of poetry.

What also makes this book intriguing is the setting of the story. The narrative goes back and forth from two time periods: 1978 and 1998 (using the chapter titles Blauner gives the reader guidance – but you need to pay attention). The locale is an unknown country that is in the midst of a low-level civil war. There is sporadic violence in the streets, intermittent losses of electrical power, but the television blathers on with mindless entertainment. An evil urban guerrilla named Sharp harasses Gabrielle's father, who engaged in political activities before becoming ill. All in all, these are not times conducive to love, but Gabrielle and Miguel combine to give each other something they need.

That's a lot going on—love, politics, family— all in less than a hundred pages, but Blauner satisfies by ending the novella on a sweet note. It's a simple little book, well done.

To order Instructions for Living, visit the new release section of The Main Street Rag books. (I purchased my copy – which is printed on quality stock paper -- but be careful, the "add to cart buttons" are not aligned with the books well).

 

Disclaimer: I've known Laurie Blauner personally for years. Not only is she is married to a longtime book shopping friend of mine, but we've been out book shopping together where she introduced me to the works of Michael Chabon and Amy Bloom. We both like Denis Johnson too. Moreover, this blog likes to champion writers such as Laurie who don't get the attention that they deserve. It's important for discriminating readers to seek out good writers, not just the ones on the bestseller lists or featured that morning on NPR.