The Same River Twice, take 2.

In the third chunk of The Same River Twice, there were some parts I really enjoyed and some parts that I felt were wordy and unnecessary. I realize this is a memoir about a writer, but I feel as if some of the story gets lost in the over-detailing of minuscule events. Because of the detail and descriptions of some parts of the book, I have started to wonder if the author has over exaggerated any points throughout the story. I can understand that it would be easy to exaggerate the past to make it sound more enjoyable. This book has really built up my anticipation though, as I am waiting very patiently for the arrival of their child. I get really excited when I get to one of the parts about the present day, hoping that in that chapter Rita will finally give birth. The fact that I have so much anticipation has really kept my interest and allowed me to want to read a little bit more, despite my previously state disgust for the over-detailing.

            I also enjoyed the chapter outlining Dane’s wedding. I was wondering all along how his family felt about his nomadic nature and it was interesting to see the family dynamic when he returned for the wedding. I liked the quote where the author says “For all my wayward ways, I was still the favored son and Dane was relegated to piloting the Nina, running aground on his own efforts to please the family.” This quote shows Dane’s struggle with middle child syndrome. This is not something I know well being the oldest, but I can see my sister feeling the exact same way. It is interesting to see how Dane struggles with this around his own wedding day, a time that is supposed to be his. I also liked the quote describing Ellen’s family. “The family of the bride was polite and charming, although their Southern Baptist beliefs opposed them to coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, dancing, and me.” I am from up north and the Southern Baptist religion was one of the many culture shocks I felt when coming to Clemson.

The Same River Twice

The Same River Twice is simply the memoir of an American nomad. I like the set up of the novel, it skips back in forth from the past to present, giving necessary background information right when you need it. So far I have really enjoyed the book, because I feel like it relates in some ways to Catcher in the Rye, which is one of my favorite books of all time. Both stories talk about the protagonists struggle to find himself and his adventures along the way.

So far, the parts I enjoyed most were the ones outlining Chris’s life in New York City. In a sense, Chris is living out the typical American dream of moving to New York City to pursue an acting career, but he fails and returns home after an injury from playing sports. One specific quote I liked from one of these sections about when he was 19-20 years old stated “We were both at the bottom of our republic’s fabled melting pot.” (page 27). When learning about immigration as a child, I used to love the term “melting pot” to describe the mix of individuals in America. This term was always heavily used in large cities, New York being the most famous because it was the center of immigration. I also liked the author’s use of the word “fabled” which is often another word for mythical. Another quote I enjoyed from these sections was “..nobody I knew had been born and raised here” (page 36). I like this quote because I never realized that this is how New York City has always been. It has always been a place where people move after some time spend somewhere else, and many of its residents are not originally born there. I thought this was quite insightful, and something I honestly never picked up on. All in all, these parts about New York City were my favorite, and I think mainly because it showed someone living out their dream to break free. I’m sure when I was growing up I dreamed of moving to NYC to become an actress at least once, as this is a common dream of many Americans.

Throughout the novel thus far, I was trying to place it in a time period. I have come to the conclusion that it takes place a few decades ago, possibly early 80s or maybe late 70s. One event that lead me to pick up this time was when Rita goes to get her check up while pregnant and the ultra sound only consists of hearing the heart beat, while today you can practically see the entire body. Just this advancement of the ultra sound machines places this novel before the boom of technology that I think happened in the 90s.

Vocabulary:

“with the jodhpurs at her ankles” page 37

            - riding breeches cut full through the hips and close-fitting from knee to ankle

Guest Blogger: Katalin Bartz

"America"

We're all a little stubborn, and we always think about ourselves first. 

Living in freedom has made many of us ignorant of how poor other countries are.

But we give money to others to make ourselves look better,

Not because we actually care about them.