Getting unexpected mail is the best thing. A new review book from Princeton Architectural Press arrived yesterday, and by 8pm last night, both Shawn and I had each finished reading it (and were talking about how much we liked it.)

You may already know of her, Kate T. Williamson, for her beautifully illustrated book A Year in Japan. This time, in her newest book, At A Crossroads, she tells us of what happened after Japan, when she moved home to live with her parents in Pennsylvania while “working on a book.”

I alternated between cringing and laughing out loud, as she recreates the awkward moments, the mundane moments, the outrageous, and even the sad and quiet ones with amazing honesty. Her stylized illustrations and witty writing cast light on the little things which make life precious: getting her grandmother to trim her crooked haircut, the squirrel glaring at her after she evicts the family from outside her window, watching her dad’s barbershop chorus perform at a quartet competition, and (one of my favorites) just walking the family dog.

There aren’t any grand ephiphanies or lessons here. We just see the things she encountered during the 23 months she lived at her parent’s house, while being “at a crossroads.” I think that’s where the honesty lies. And what makes this book so worth reading.

March 25th, 2008