Townie

I loved the first chapter of this book.  The author, Andre Dubus III, discusses a run with his father, Andre Dubus, and how he didn't want the experience to end even though he was in significant physical pain. The description of his life after his father divorced his mother could easily read like any other memoir of a kid with divorced parents.  His memoir is different because of the obvious fact that he took up writing just like his father.  I couldn't figure out how the 18-30 year old Dubus was going to end up as a writer because it sounded more like he was going to become a boxer or dead from bar fights.

I will admit that I grew a little tired of reading about the different bar fights, ongoing thoughts of why he was into fighting or building up his strength, and how he felt after some of these fights.  I wondered why this book received so much praise and what was I missing that others found so compelling.  As the book moved into his post-college years, I finally understood the appeal because it reminded me so much of the early chapters.  After finishing the book, I listened to some of his radio interviews because I really wanted to hear what his voice sounded like.  He talked about how he believes anyone can change based partly on his own experiences. There is a large part of me that agrees with this sentiment.  I have this other belief that some of the strongest people I know came from childhood years that were not ideal.  They had many rough patches of doing stupid things but pulled it together and are now some of the most eloquent, compassionate people I know.  I suspect Dubus falls into this camp.  Now I want to read his fiction and some of his father's short stories.