Review of Dimestore on The Ploughshares Blog
Confession: Until picking up a copy of Dimestore, I had never read best-selling fiction author, Lee Smith, despite her praises routinely sung by friends and colleagues.
Although I’m not proud of this disclosure, as a creative nonfiction writer, I gravitate towards nonfiction reading in an effort to hone my craft—a sort of “two birds with one stone approach,” despite my intense love of novels and fiction in general.
Recently, on a particularly dreary commute, I tuned in to NPR just in time to catch an interview dedicated to Smith’s newest title, which to my delight, is a memoir—her first, in fact. Captivated by the warmth in her voice and her candid approach to each question, I listened from start to finish, waiting in the parking lot, walking into the office late, but not in the least concerned.
On my way home that evening, I stopped to pick up a copy of Dimestore, which I already suspected was an enchanting work of nonfiction, given that it is written by a woman long celebrated for storytelling.
The verdict?