… that have impressed me and why, and determined that, while I enjoy a wide variety of literature, the works I remember, that leave an indelible mark, have one thing in common, a single ingredient that, at least for me, makes reading them pure joy. It’s an almost melodic play with words, the unique turn of a phrase, that makes me want to stop and bask in the magic, often rereading a passage and marveling that anyone could so eloquently string words.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold comes to mind. If you’re looking for a delightful read, beautifully crafted from a unique perspective, I highly recommend it. I won’t go into the story line but you can read it here if you’re interested.
I read an recent article in which Sebold discusses faith as it relates to her ability to get past occasional writer’s block and maintain the discipline required to be a successful writer. Somewhere near the middle I found another example of her “way with words” and wrote it down for periodic inspiration:
“…A difficult lesson, which I fought at every turn, is that what often must substitute for faith is discipline. Faith has a lovely ease about it, an ethereal ring. Discipline is the rod, the staff, your insecurities internalized and spouting rules and limits on your life. Why can’t I just have faith that books will be completed? Why isn’t faith enough? I hear my southern roots respond. Faith doesn’t dig ditches, they say; faith doesn’t scrape the burn from the bottom of the pot. Ultimately, faith gives freedom, and discipline, its sister, makes sure the job gets done. …”
I particularly like the last two sentences.
Her new novel, The Almost Moon, will be published in October. I ‘m looking forward to another good read.