subtext

At least 25 years ago, I read The Road Home by Jim Harrison. I read it again for the second time slowly over the last month. The Road Home was the first novel by Harrison I read. I had read his short book of poetry “After Ikkyu,” which is still one of my favorite books of poetry. I have since read pretty much everything he wrote. The Road Home is the sequel to Dalva, which I read after The Road Home. The Road Home had an enormous emotional impact as I finished it the first time, and now again 25 years later. It wrestles with themes of history, family, place (as in location), nature, art, and love, and how all of these interact in one’s life for good and ill. Harrison’s prose style (poetry too) creates the illusion of someone talking directly to you, going on short and longish tangents and asides as the story is told. All the while adding nothing that is not necessary as the story unfolds.  Here are some quotes from The Road Home: 

“The mind by itself must discipline itself to open wide enough to allow the soul to clap its hands and sing.”

“..as if we were all undertakers for our past.”

“If it all was based so resolutely on chance it seemed by far the best course to seize what chances were offered.”

“Obsessions don’t seem extraordinary if it’s just the way you are.”

“I wondered at the time and still do why they allow people to teach who don’t read.”