A Woman Driving Alone by Marie-Helene Bertino, 2022
The magic trick:
Stream-of-consciousness narration that does not feel like stream-of-consciousness writing
Two stories this week that take us into the majestic Pacific Northwest.
This is kind of a close cousin to Lorrie Moore’s “Dancing In America.” Topically at least – driving and illness being the key touchpoints.
Very different writing styles though.
Bertino is at her best here creating a feeling of stream-of-consciousness narration that occasionally verges on the surreal. It really seems as if the narrator is making it up as she goes, picking up threads here and there.
But as the reader, you will quickly see the throughlines and understand that this is not at all random writing.
Some stream-of-consciousness narration feels like stream-of-consciousness writing.
This does not.
This conveys a narrator who is all over the map being presented by an author who is writing with complete control.
And that’s quite a trick on Bertino’s part.
The selection:
Of all the details, that people make an orderly line for drinks at the bar, which stymies our imagination. “No one cuts or yells or pushes.”
A typical Liz thing, we decide, is to speak in rapturous tones about “breaking trail.” Overly diligent about the three-word rule in Celebrities, Liz has had exactly two boyfriends, the second being her husband. She reminds us constantly how easily her white skin burns. We admire and can only handle her in small doses.
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