A review by ysabellabeya
The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 —5.0 stars
"How does the writer of personal narrative pull from his or her own boring, agitated self the truth speaker who will tell the story that needs to be told?... I trained my eyes on the writing: how it got done, how it functioned, took its place in the world, helped alter literary history. "

This book is a reminder that recounts why I love writing and Vivian Gornick is responsible for adding the fuel to the flame to its resurgence.
 
"The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative" by Vivian Gornick has never failed to left me in awe in every fragment at its tail end. The book gave me insights on the 'persona' that we should adapt when writing, that we should know who we are at the moment of writing and when questioned with the "Who am I?," one must deliver not with an answer but with the depth on inquiry.
 
I love every part of the "one. THE ESSAY" and least liked the part "two. THE MEMOIR" because I am still confused on the idea of "becoming." This helped to discover and dissect literary pieces and I love how Gornick gave explanations that I found very compelling. I find her narrative just my taste and her analogies are (I don't know, I would say) punchy. It lead me to discovering essayists and memoirists that are excellent storytellers and their works that I would definitely happy to consume in the future.

This book is one great read and I would definitely look back to it with gratitude that it existed in the right time when I need it and is well-received by my psyche because what it is addressing is alive. Now. Right now. 

"With relief I thought, I’m not losing myself. Suddenly I realized there was no myself to lose. I had a narrator on the page strong enough to do battle for me. "