Today, 31st August, is officially We Love Memoirs Day. Personally, I love memoirs everyday. In fact, I love all kinds of books, every day of the year. However, I do particularly love memoirs.
Especially if I have recently read other books of fiction by the same author. It’s fascinating to see the differences and similarities in voice and style between the fiction and the nonfiction. Is there a narrative style that is discernible in all the author’s writing, or is it totally different. I have found some authors write in a similar style, others are completely different. This may be due to the fictional accounts being historical, or fantasy. I love to hear their own story in their own words.
If someone had told me I would write a memoir twenty years ago, I would have told them they were dreaming. What would be interesting enough in my life to write about? It turns out that everyone has an interesting story. And, your story is uniquely your own. No one else has the same story as you, and no one is more qualified to tell it than you. Even your siblings who grew up in the same place, with the same parents, and went to the same school, have a completely different recollection of events than you. They probably have a different perspective, different priorities, and different memories. We are all singular and unprecedented.
I am yet to hear any person’s story that is not interesting. If it is told well, even a story about something mundane can be incredible. Last week I saw a movie called Perfect Days about a man in Tokyo who cleans public toilets. His story was extraordinary. It was beautiful and idiosyncratic. It was routine and mundane. It was meditative.
We can learn so much from understanding someone else’s story. Whether it is an uplifting tale of achievement, a torrid plight of tragedy, or a quiet narrative of contemplation, we are given the opportunity to step into the author’s shoes and mind for a period of time. I would also add that you are given the gift of the writer’s heart within the pages. It’s a magical offering.
Kylie Eklund-Denman 