In Splinters, the American novelist and essayist Leslie Jamison leaves behind the issue of her addiction and recovery – the subject of her previous memoir, The Recovering (2018) – and takes us through her pregnancy, experience of childbirth, marriage, divorce and post-separation dating life. Each stage of her journey is related with the author’s trademark love of the telling detail:
On the postpartum ward my window ledge filled up with snacks from friends: graham crackers, cashews, cheddar cheese, coconut water, oranges with tiny green leaves.
Someone hands her a form to fill out. ‘Did I want bone broth?’ We can assume she does, as bone broth appears later on.
Much of Splinters recounts her marriage to the author Charles Bock – referred to throughout as ‘C’. When the two first meet, Jamison ‘recognised him immediately. His debut novel had gotten a glowing review on the cover of the New York Times Book Review’.
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