Review of "Stitches: A Handbook On Meaning, Hope and Repair," by Anne Lamott

 Review of

Stitches: A Handbook On Meaning, Hope and Repair, by Anne Lamott ISBN 9781594632587

Four out of five stars

Making the best of time passages

 While time goes slow when you are young, it seems to fly when you are a busy adult. To nearly everyone, it seems that decades pass before you realize it. This book is about taking a few pauses in your life in order to properly process what has taken place.

 One specific item mentioned several times is a top worn by a dear friend of the author. It was an attractive top that the author began wearing when the friend grew seriously ill, and she kept it after the friend died. Since she wore it frequently, it began to wear out and rather than throw it away, she stitched it up. Hence, the name of the book. There is also mention of the curtains that the author’s dog managed to rip up with its claws.

 This is a fast, yet purposeful book. It is about dealing with loss, how we manage or fail to cope with the consequences of the expression of mortality in the people around us. It would be incorrect to call it uplifting, the best word is that it is a sturdy prop as you continue to live through what are the normal crises of life.