"The Chronology of Water" by Lidia Yuknavitch is not a book I would recommend to many people. In fact, other than my friend Kara and Tom (who loaned me the book) I doubt any other blog readers here would like it. It is really tough, really rough, sometimes difficult to read. Lidia had a rotten life and there is nothing even remotely amusing about her recollections of that life. At one point, I put the book down and wasn't sure about finishing it. Her sentence structure, grammar, balance of narrative were all off to me and I hate books that are experimentally written.
But I returned to it and finished it in three days. It's a slow read and very intense, there is shadowy abuse and in-your-face sex, birth, death, drinking, drugs, despair and almost redemption. The writing at times is like water: it surrounds you and pulls you in and just when you feel like you are drowning, it buoys you up and pushes you to the surface and makes you take a strangled breath. Lidia doesn't simply share her life with the reader as many memoirs do. She forces you to be in her life with all of its hate and love, fear and faith.
If you are brave enough to pick it up, beware of the consequences. Honestly, it will make you examine your own life, your past, your fears and your accomplishments and your failures. It's a soul-searching book and not just for Lidia.
I sort of liken it to watching the movie "Amour." There were times I almost left the theater and when the film was over I wasn't sure why anyone would go see it. But it stayed with me for days, for weeks. It was so painful and difficult to watch but so true and such a story of love that maybe everyone needs to watch it. Maybe everyone needs to read "The Chronology of Water" but that isn't going to happen. Suffice it to say I am glad I did. Lidia certainly examines her life and in turn, forces the reader to do the same.
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