Crossing to Safety is the first book by Wallace Stegner I have ever read. As Magistra Mater said when she recommended it, it’s “full of phrases that reverberated in my bones.”
This book follows the friendship of two couples from early marriage on. It’s told through the eyes of Larry, an English professor and writer.
I may have groaned when I realized that the narrator was an aspiring writer working as an English professor. That particular type of character has been overdone, and I braced myself for pages and pages of plotless navel-gazing about the minutiae of life and why the guy writes. I was pleasantly surprised.
This book made me think. It made me think about why we befriend some people and not others. It made me think about how marriages look to outsiders, whether those perceptions are accurate, and why we do the things we do. And yes, it did make me think about why writers write and how they portray the world, but it didn’t beat me over the head with it.
I wish more writers would read this book and take a cue from Stegner. I’ve long bemoaned the fact that many current writers of literary fiction think that good writing must focus on the basest parts of human nature and wallow there without leaving us any hope (or plot). Oprah and her book club only reinforced this notion. Stegner made a strong case that writers need to paint with the darker colors, too, but reminded us that the shadows don’t obliterate the light, just contrast it. Since Stegner would have been a contemporary of my grandparents, I just hope this type of writer is not gone forever.
This is not a light read, but it’s not difficult. You can probably find it at your library (I did), and it would be worth your time.
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Stegner made a strong case that writers need to paint with the darker colors, too, but reminded us that the shadows don’t obliterate the light, just contrast it. ~ I love this sentence, Staci. I’m writing it in my journal.
I always enjoy reading reviews of books I’ve already read. Comparing and contrasting responses. I particularly enjoyed this review!
I remember finding this book quite powerful. Thanks for such a thoughtful review.
I read this and Angle of Repose about 15 years ago as part of graduate school and loved them both. I’d like to read them again now at a different stage in my life!
I have owned this book for years – bought it and had it signed by Mr. Stegner years ago at a bookstore reading. I have never opened it, though! Thanks for reminding me of it.
I’ve been planning on reading this since you mentioned it over at my blog. Will definitely be checking the library soon!