Broadway Books paperback, June 2003.
In this book about several different kinds of journeys – introspective, retrospective, and cross-country, always with the destination “Happiness” – the most honest and homespun wisdom about getting “there” comes from snippets of the author’s conversations during visits to her grandparents’ summer place on North Haven.
Grampy’s history is only alluded to through his anecdotes, but he seems to have made a success of marrying the love of his life. Lili, on the other hand, travels the U.S eastern seaboard from Mount Cadillac to Key West in order to ponder the mysteries of true love, and more practically, how to choose between two men she was simultaneously involved with.
If that situation and solution strike a sympathetic chord with you, this recounting of a road trip by a thirty-something journalist in search of herself will probably resonate as a good read. The description of Lili bidding one lover goodbye in the Rockland ferry terminal parking lot, but keeping his chocolate Lab for company, reminded me of the last time I stumbled across that image of the terminal as an especially bleak one. It was during the movie filmed in Camden and Rockland, “In the Bedroom.”
Wright’s book may express a lot of the same confusion and angst over who is right to fall in love with, but with a decidedly non-noir approach, she brings a sense of adventure, self-deprecating humor, and stubborn optimism to the venture. The chocolate Lab seems symbolic of Lili’s intentions to be in a long-term committed relationship. However, by New York, poor Brando is more hindrance than help and she returns him to her ex. Her history of loving and leaving men has followed a similar pattern – when sacrifices, compromises, and flexibility are necessary, the romance languishes. Following the coastline south from Maine, the book is both an off-color memoir of Lili’s love life and colorful anecdotes from her travels. Two months later in Key West, where her pursuit of insight culminates, she consults an astrologer on his sailboat. The reading is never concluded, as the last water taxi of the night arrives. She arranges to have it mailed to her. Similarly, we don’t get a tidy ending to the book with a clear message or lessons learned from her trip. Reading the liner notes reveals she has gone on to marry, teach and parent. Life surely continues to hold adventures and challenges for Lili, and maybe – this would be a bonus – a Chocolate Lab too.
Tina Cohen writes from Vinalhaven and is biased about chocolate Labs because she has one.