right book, wrong time

mostly because i know what happens after this memoir ended. i read a book by ann patchett over a year ago. it was the memoir of her friendship with lucy grealy. this is lucy's story. the problem is that patchett's book tells of the sadness that followed the publication of grealy's book. so while reading this book and getting caught up in her prose and reflections, i also knew that whatever happiness was in her story did not last long after the pages were written. it colored the reading of her story.... which is a bummer because it is a story of obstacles and victory. i just wish i hadn't known that her victory was short lived.

lucy grealy had cancer at the age of 10. it was in her jaw and so she grew up with a disfigued face, chemotherapy and surgeries, and her body (for the most part) stay pre-pubescent. her story is of coming to realize what truth and beauty looked like when it was not what you looked like. she found solace in poetry and frienships in college. she was vibrant and extreme. i loved reading about her triumph during adolescence and wondering if i would have been friends with her or if my children could have the maturity to look past her face and see the person (intelligent, witty, compassionate) inside.


she made me think..... not a bad thing.
she made me sad... because she could not hold onto her victories.
i wish i had read it before ann patchett's book (which i really loved).
i wish i had finished it before going to florida.