The words that come to mind reading Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro are nonlinear, personal, intimate, quiet, and reflective. This slim book is a reflection and commentary on marriage. This is not a memoir with a linear timeline or a plot; it is more like picking through a photo album, drifting from memory to memory until an image more expansive than the photographs themselves forms. The craft of Dani Shapiro's writing makes it feel real and heartfelt.

Reviewed for the Penguin First to Read program.

I received an uncorrected bound proof and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It requires a slow and thoughtful reading as the author expertly inserts her random thoughts into your stream of consciousness as she looks back and examines her own life, providing examples of the positive and the negative, the joy and the sadness, the happiness and the disappointments and their eventual influence on her future. The memories move back and forth in time, detailing, with only a few well placed words, the ups and downs and in and outs of the moments that most stand out in her mind as she contemplates her past. It runs the gamut of emotion which the readers will feel immersed in with her, because many of her memories and feelings are universal and could well be theirs. The losses and gains in life add up, but not always arithmetically. Their values change depending on the circumstance. She has woven a poignant look at her experiences and special events, both good and bad, and made them our own, as well. I found the writing style interesting since her thoughts were random in almost the same way as she describes the development of the tragedy of a battle lost to dementia. Yet her approach is not rambling or confusing, but rather enlightening. Although her memories are random, they are, fortunately, returning to her, whereas to one suffering from Alzheimers, they are lost forever. The book is very concise, but it contains all the pertinent elements necessary to engage and enlighten the reader. One caveat is that I think it would be best if the reader was a little educated about the author’s life before tackling it.