I'M AN OPEN SHIRT

WRITER'S DIGEST REVIEW

"Author opens her arms wide to welcome the reader into her story, shared with enlivening authenticity and bravery that we can feel. From the start, we connect deeply with this author, smiling at her titling of her chemo as ‘chocolate sauce’ as we relate to and feel anxiety about any recurrence. I noted the author’s talent for writing movement throughout, an unexpected but effective tool for adding realism to her scenes. In memoir, there is often a risk of the writer just dropping dialogue mostly unadorned, listing occasions and places. This author glides past such bare bones descriptions to deliver the energy of movement, of CrossFit, tabata and workouts. We sense a devotion to taking care of oneself, and we feel that in the patterns, rhythms and strength of working out. We flash back to the love story of her and Chris, as author layers her own character and Chris’s. They move together within this story that has movement in its DNA, and we feel it in well-crafted settings. We’re immersing in cancer world now, as surgeon meetings and medical facilities take any magical energy of her relationships and transform them into a harder energy of putting one foot in front of the other during treatment. There is an energy to life in healthier times, one that’s rich with health and nature, and there is an energy to life in treatment times. We see and feel here that the energy of both has similarities. Well done for making it all sensory to us. I loved the author’s strength, even the strength that bursts out of her in frustration such as ‘I don’t belong here!’ I loved the emotion in letters to her family. The author infuses her story with her own power, as explored or as organic as it might be. Where she is on the scale, we’re close to her, caring for her healing. Author has written us there. When author’s emotions flare up, or reach calmness, she uses several excellent techniques for allowing us to feel emotion: we get variation in her voice via sentence structure and pitch. Author's word choice uses action verbs to pack more power into her dialogue and description. I especially liked the author's instincts for taking a breath or using silence. Author enriches her story with quite an arsenal of narrative gems. Well done. We’re very close to the author as she approaches the realism of her breasts being gone soon, and we feel grief mixed with admiration for her strength as she attempts to make this easier on her loved ones. We’re relieved to see her come out on the other side with worthy elements of experience and inspiration for readers. Well done."