The Secret Life of Objects [Paperback]

Dawn Raffel (Author), Sean Evers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2012

"In this evocative memoir, moments from the past do not fade - they breathe on the page, rendering a striking portrait of a woman through her connections to the people she's loved, the places she been, what's been lost, and what remains. In clear, beautiful prose Raffel reveals the haunting qualities of the objects we gather, as well as the sustaining and elusive nature of memory itself." - Samuel Ligon, author of Drift and Swerve: Stories "Dawn Raffel puts memories, people and secrets together like perfectly set gems in these shimmering stories, which are a delight to read. Every detail is exquisite, every character beautifully observed, and every object becomes sacred in her kind, capable hands. I savored every word." - Priscilla Warner, author of Learning to Breathe - My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Her gift for capturing the nugget of a relationship in a single backward glance works beautifully in this illustrated memoir.--The Chicago Tribune

"A lean, brilliant, playful memoir"--The San Francisco Chronicle

"You may never look at that lamp the same way again after reading this evocative memoir..."--O, The Oprah Magazine and Oprah's Summer Reading List, 2012

"This endearing memoir takes an assortment of otherwise ordinary possessions and turns it into a series of delicate, resonant stories"--More magazine

"Her memoir reflects on everyday objects such as a cup, a ring....From these memories comes a whole life story."--Reader's Digest

From the Author

Objects hold a residue of the places we've been and the people we've loved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Jaded Ibis Press (March 19, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193754303X
• ISBN-13: 978-1937543037
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 4.9 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dawn Raffel's new book is The Secret Life of Objects, which was selected for Oprah's Summer Reading List, 2012 and reviewed in the San francisco Chronicle as "a lean, brilliant, playful memoir." She is also the author of two collections--Further Adventures in the Restless Universe and In the Year of Long Division--and a novel, Carrying the Body. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, BOMB, The Mississippi Review Prize Anthology, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, The Brooklyn Rail, The Quarterly, NOON, and many other periodicals and anthologies. She is the books editor at Reader's Digest and the editor of The Literarian at The Center for Fiction.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant, poetic, evocative. A book I want to keep. June 6, 2012

By Joni L. Rodgers

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

At its best, a memoir is cosmic cartography; it offers some vital sliver of the map of human experience. This slender, elegant collection does that with austere perfection in almost every chapter. The pairing of this structure with this premise is genius. It feels like a curio cabinet of tastefully arranged mementos, knickknacks and objects d'art, each of which connects to a moment in personal history, a beat of the heart. At the risk of sounding flip, it's like a Spoon River Anthology of tchotchkes.

One particular passage I love details with heartrending brevity the death of Raffel's mother, who was an artist. "I packed up a lifetime's worth of paintings, drawings, and sculpture, divided them up among family, shipped home boxes and boxes marked "fragile." I took her glass collection, her jewelry, her papers, her photos, her shoes. On a shelf I found two matching vases--a big one and a little one, luminous blue. I wrapped the little one in my clothing and put it in my bag. I left the big one in the house."

For me, that passage brings home the greater takeaway (if one requires great takeaway beyond the pure pleasure of reading beautiful prose): an examination of why we keep what we keep (and why some things are marked "fragile") on our shelves, in our lives and woven into our souls. This book changed the way I walk past the small, unassuming objects in my own life. These things are not set dressing; each one is a tiny anchor for an important story. I won't forget that again....

This is a physically lovely book I'm glad to have on my shelf, but I look forward to buying the Kindle version, because that's where I keep the books I return to when I need a meditative moment as I wait for a flight, stand in line or struggle to sleep. It's a delight to discover a book I can revisit again and again, always finding some new insight, always learning something fresh about the craft of writing. A book that combines the charm of poetry and the power of story. This will be one of those books for me.

Also highly recommended: Raffel's novel Carrying the Body. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant, affecting, charming memoir-in-objects June 28, 2012

By Patrice

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a quietly affecting, charming book, beautifully written. Raffel compiles meditations on various objects in her life and the stories behind them, which is an ingenious structure for a memoir (I'm going to use excerpts for teaching creative nonfiction writing). A mosaic or fragmented structure like this--composed of many short vignettes--could grow tiresome, but this book remains compelling because of Raffel's exquisite writing. Each vignette is both a stand-alone prose poem, yet they each add something to a larger family story, all undergirded by the appealing introspective sensibilty of the author. I enjoyed the author's reflective voice, the thinking she does about each object, a process which perhaps is what yielded pearls of wisdom about the "things" that ring true, and are poignant, that show that objects have meaning for us. I'm happy to have discovered this book, which had the best result: to inspire me to think about my own objects and the stories they hold. One small wish: I would loved to have seen the objects (photos)rather than drawings, which I liked, but they did not satisfy my curiosity. Highly recommend.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars unforgettable book July 8, 2012

By Bev golo

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This a beautifully composed book, brilliant in its conception. A memoir different from most, able to reveal stories through objects owned, seen, touched and remembered. A mug, a painting, a glass angel, to name but a few, evoke not only where and how acquired but also the pathos, joy, humor and realizations that make up a life. With a deft and sure hand, Raffel depicts family members in ways that are magical. The writing is spare, unsentimental, almost poetic, I'd say, but always accessible. On finishing this deeply felt book, I could not help but revisit objects in my house and ponder their secret lives. An unforgettable book and a total pleasure to read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret Life of Objects August 7, 2012

By lizytish

Format:Paperback

This book will not disappoint. Ms. Raffel has put her memories of loved ones into words that will touch your heart...it did mine. Treat yourself to some laughing and crying...a real "feel good" read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone wonders what the walls would say...... September 2, 2012

By Richard A. Beach

Format:Paperback

....but Ms Raffel breaths life into everyday items we usually ignore. We all have our Grandmother's vase, or maybe a a lamp - we look at them, we tell the part of the story we know about them. Here, Ms Raffel fills in the details with heart and soul. Very refreshing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars exquisite lumination June 4, 2012

By Leora Skolkin-Smith

Format:Paperback

Dawn Raffel has long been a writer of experiment and depth. In this collection she makes luminous the small moments of memory we all hold in darkness,until small and random objects--inherited and past, from our lives-- offer to shine a light like delicate candles illuminating their meanings to us. I applaud this elegant work, from one of most fascinating contemporary writers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved These Stories September 25, 2012

By Ingrid Ricks

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved this collection of stories for lots of reasons. Beyond the great writing, the concept of telling stories organized around objects that the author has collected over the years enables her to give readers an inside glimpse into so many different aspects of her life, and to share poignant stories about several family members that otherwise may not have been told.

Through the plates, mugs, books, record albums, photos, artwork, jewelry and a variety of other objects that have their place in her house, Dawn Raffel brings to life the friends, family members, experiences and passions that shape who she is as a person. And in doing so, she reminded me of objects I treasure and have held onto over the years--and the meaning and stories they hold.