“Devotion” is the second memoir of Dani Shapiro’s I’ve read, but it was written before the revelations Dani has in the first book of hers I read, "Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love"  . Because I read “Inheritance” first, I had a glimpse into the rest of Dani’s story, but it was only alluded to. “Devotion” lays it all on the table. “Devotion” reveals Dani’s struggle with faith and God in a way so intimate, I felt as if I was sitting across from her at a coffee shop. Again, I was struck by her flawless writing where every chapter, paragraph, and even word has a precise and exact reason for being there that helps to drive the book. Oddly, not much actually “happens” in the book. Of course there are life events, happy and tragic things that happen, but so much of the book is told from within Dani’s head, the reader almost feels like a character from the Pixar movie “Inside Out” watching her emotions play out on the screen. I’ve said this before, but Dani’s clarity of expression is incredible. She can make the reader feel exactly what she is feeling, even if that emotion is so tangled up in confusion and mixed with fear and anxiety. This makes reading the book quite the rollercoaster. Even though I could not relate to the specific struggles Dani was dealing with in her mind, I could relate to HER. She is the main character in this book, and her writing immediately draws the reader in. We are her ally, her confidante, as she lives through these events in her life that have a profound impact on her. It is a journey, but lacks the “movement” that drives other memoirs. Dani’s rocking sailboat of a mind is enough movement to keep the story lively and the risks high. Dani’s quest to find peace, spirituality, devotion, God, and closure may not be relatable to everyone, but her writing is of a caliber that anyone would have something to gain by reading her work.

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Created Jan 19, 2020 at 8:17am • Submit your own review...