Book Review: YEAR OF THE MONKEY by Patti Smith

YEAR OF THE MONKEY by Patti Smith (Vintage, September 2020) Trade paperback, 224 pages. ISBN # 1984898922 / 9781984898920 Goodread Choice Award Nominee for Memoir & Autobiography 2019 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year.

Following a run of concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland as a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the year of the monkey." 

For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America.

Smith melds the Western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. 

The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world.

Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times. 

My Three-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     While I respect the style, imagery, and inventiveness of James Joyce, I am not a fan of stream-of-consciousness fiction. I really struggled to get through Joyce's ULYSSES, but kept going for those moments of appreciation. 

     This is first of Patti Smith's memoirs that I have read. I'd call THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY a stream-of-consiousness memoir. And, like Joyce, I'm not of fan of this either - - although I can appreciate her skills. There are some great moments of poetic inspiration when an ordinary image encountered during her travels causes her to extrapolate on the meaning of life, etc.

     2016 was a rough year for many of us, including Smith. She lost two dear friends, one a mentor and occasional collaborator. THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY does provide several insights into what motivates Smith, what's important to her, and how she views the world and current events. 

However, rather than a straight-forward memoir, this rambles at times, and blends fact with fiction and fantasy in surreal fashion. Interesting, but not something that appeals to me. 

     Considering the highly favorable reviews of this book, which I've read and can't disagree with, I should just go with the flow, give it a higher rating, and briefly praise it. But I have to be true to myself. Like LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, this just isn't for me.