The key to the mystery of a crazy quilt novel probably resides in this final sentence of Leah Hager Cohen's review of Joanna Scott's "Follow Me" in the April 17th New York Times Book review section:
to the rush of voices, the press of consciousness, beyond her authority: a presence unseen yet avid, and undyingly alert to human endeavor.Nowhere as colourful, dangerous or amoral or immoral as the protagonist's peripatetic journey, I know from personal experience that leaves do fall onto our path, strangers do influence our next moves and often the stories we can or could tell of our adventures will resonate as myth rather than reality.
But the adventure is real, and the telling of it may occasionally be embellished, frequently abbreviated, seemingly candid and often makes our lives richer and the fireside talks alive and yes, ablaze with a certain magic.
Perhaps the novelist, Scott, went too far, or perhaps not far enough, but whichever direction she took, a book that can encompass the life of a wanderer may make for good reading.
Joanna Scott will be interviewed on Bookworms today.
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