海角大神

鈥淭hese Precious Days,鈥� Ann Patchett鈥檚 generous new collection of essays, nearly all of which were previously published in periodicals, offers a burst of warm positivity. Like her first collection, 鈥淭his Is the Story of a Happy Marriage鈥� (2013), this appealing mix of the personal and the professional highlights the centrality of books, family, friendship, and compassion in Patchett鈥檚 life.

At the heart of 鈥淭hese Precious Days鈥� is the title essay, a tribute to a woman Patchett befriended in what turned out to be the last years of the woman鈥檚 life. Patchett, who memorialized her difficult, intense friendship with fellow writer Lucy Grealy in 鈥淭ruth & Beauty鈥� (2004), has an easier time celebrating her less complicated, serendipitous relationship with Sooki Raphael, Tom Hanks鈥� longtime personal assistant.聽聽

Patchett鈥檚 essays often carry life lessons. What she learns from Sooki is to remember to treasure and pay attention to every precious moment. Another lesson here is about the deep gratification of extending oneself. That鈥檚 what Patchett did when she opened her Nashville home to Sooki so her new friend could participate in a medical trial not then available in her home state of California. Patchett, a born nurturer, writes that even though she barely knew Sooki at that point, 鈥渢here have been few moments in my life when I have felt so certain: I was supposed to help.鈥澛�

Sooki turns out to be an ideal houseguest 鈥� self-sufficient, tidy, quiet, thoughtful. When the pandemic hits, they go into lockdown together with Patchett鈥檚 husband, Karl VanDevender, a doctor who helped arrange for Sooki鈥檚 enrollment in the trial. Patchett spends her days writing or packing books to ship from her closed bookstore. Between treatments, Sooki finally gets to devote herself to her passion: painting. The two women practice yoga and cook vegetarian meals together. 鈥淢ost of the writers and artists I know were made for sheltering in place,鈥� Patchett writes. 鈥淭he world asks us to engage, and for the most part we can, but given the choice, we鈥檇 rather stay home.鈥澛�

When it鈥檚 time for Sooki to fly back to her family in Los Angeles, Patchett is reminded of heart-wrenching separations from her divorced father at the end of each summer鈥檚 weeklong visit. 鈥淎s it turned out,鈥� she writes, 鈥淪ooki and I needed the same thing: to find someone who could see us as our best and most complete selves. Astonishing to come across such a friend at this point in life. At any point in life.鈥澛�

鈥淭hese Precious Days鈥� isn鈥檛 the only essay that evoked tears. In several pieces, Patchett writes movingly of her father, a Los Angeles police detective who disapproved of her single-minded determination to become a writer. But her father鈥檚 skepticism gave her an unexpected gift: 鈥淲ithout ever meaning to, my father taught me at a very early age to give up on the idea of approval.鈥� She proceeded with her dream, although she tried not to offend his moral sensibilities. 鈥淚 found plenty of things to write about that weren鈥檛 smoking or swearing or sex.鈥� She goes on to write, 鈥淲ith the extra time and energy they聽had, my characters went out and saw the world.鈥�

Throughout the essays, Patchett seeks the essential: 鈥淚 could watch myself grappling with the same聽themes in my writing and in my life: what I needed, whom I loved,聽what I could let go, and how much energy the letting go would take,鈥� she writes. 鈥淎gain and again, I was asking what mattered most in this precarious and precious life.鈥澛�

In addition to her father, Patchett celebrates her two stepfathers and her husband and his lifelong love of flying. She writes about the relief of reining in materialism by paring down and not shopping: 鈥淚f you stop thinking about what you might want, it鈥檚 a whole lot easier to see what other people don鈥檛 have.鈥澛�

Discussing her profession, Patchett quips, 鈥淔lexibility was what writers got instead of health insurance,鈥� and 鈥淭he price of living with a writer was that eventually she would write about you.鈥� In 鈥淭hree Fathers,鈥� she confesses to arranging for the group photograph that will eventually accompany her triple-tribute after all three dads have died. In 鈥淐over Stories,鈥� she doesn鈥檛 mince words about her disappointment with her early book jackets, and points out that, ironically, the adage 鈥淣ever judge a book by its cover 鈥� doesn鈥檛 apply to actual books. 鈥� Covers are what we have to go on.鈥� On the cover of this book, Sooki鈥檚 colorful portrait of Patchett鈥檚 dog, Sparky, is a clear winner.聽

So, too, is Patchett. Is she too good to be believed? Lucy Grealy accused her of a sainthood complex. True, this is a person who feels shame at owning seven mixing bowls. But in an essay about her intentional childlessness, she shows clear annoyance at people鈥檚 thoughtless comments.

Bottom line: Patchett is a person you want to spend time with 鈥� on the page or in person.