American Still Life

Skade Felsdottir has been meandering around the country, working on a book that will feature her photography. Her deadline is looming, and she has been avoiding the one place she needs to visit to finish her work, her old hometown, Carlton. But for Skade, Carlton is filled with memories and ghosts, something she knows about as her book focuses on descansos, those roadside memorials built by those left behind when people are killed in that place. And she has some serious ghosts to deal with in Carlton, some terrible memories that have driven her to a life lived in a haze of alcohol and opioids.

The particular descansos in Carlton that nailed down Skade’s book contract are now off limits in a construction zone, but Skade has to get more photos or her book deal will fall apart. She meets a young woman, Kit, while trying to sneak into the site. Kit works for the highway department and helps Skade get in for some photos. As Skade gets to know Kit, Skade discovers Kit, an extremely tall, ungainly woman, is a talented puppeteer. Kit helps Skade to find some great descansos, really getting Skade close to the finish line on her book.

As she comes to know Kit better, she finds out Kit has lost her whole family and is particularly devastated by the death of her older sister. While all this is going on, Skade reconnects with an old boyfriend and continues her constant abuse of alcohol and pills which fuels her bouts of ill-directed rage that hurts herself and people around her, including Kit.

While researching the stories of a local descanso, Skade rouses some ghosts from her past that open some doors she would much rather stay closed. Worse, she finds out her past actions could well ruin the one good relationship she has in her life.

Author Jim Naremore has written a story that will connect with many readers, readers who have had someone like Skade in their lives. It will be hard to root for such a difficult main character, but there are moments when she controls some of her despicable behavior that allow readers to have some empathy for her. Naremore paints a strong picture of the world Skade inhabits, although much of it is overwritten. He tends to use three or four adjectives when one would do nicely.

Readers don’t need to know the names of every plant along a trail to somewhere or have the oppressive heat described every time a character steps through a door. Some judicious editing would make this a better book. That said, the characters are fully formed and the story is a compelling one that will leave readers well satisfied.