Having just read and reviewed Terry Tempest Williams's (TTW) An Unspoken Hunger, a collection of essays that spoke volumes on many levels, I immediately sought out a copy of perhaps TTW's most widely acclaimed book Refuge. I was thirsty for the spare prose and poetic style that pervades TTW's work and the stories that reach out and touch, even stir on occasion, the soul. Refuge quenched my thirst and went beyond my expectations, leaving an indelible and lasting imprint upon my heart and mind. I don't think I will soon forget this book, maybe never.

I realize that much has been said about this book in reviews and discussions since its publication five years ago. I hope that I will not repeat those comments, but instead cast this book in a more personal light and maybe encourage some on the list to reread Refuge or read it for the first time.

For those who haven't yet read this book, it is essentially an autobiography that spans approximately seven years of TTW's life (1983-1990). In between the book's covers the author bares her soul in the process of sharing with the reader two tragic tales that occured simultaneously in her life - the loss of her mother to cancer. The other story, as told by TTW the naturalist, tracks the devastation of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge by the rise of the Great Salt Lake. The first story is a human one - about physical frailty, death, and the individual's search for daily comfort and spiritual peace. The second story is a natural one - about Nature's unbending forces and mankind's inability to curb its will. TTW presents these tulmultuous events in stark, honest, and deeply emotional ways. She shows us through the lense of her life how these two seemingly very different stories are inextricably intertwined. In short, Nature heals us by reminding us of eternal principles - birth, life, death, and spiritual renewal and progression. For TTW, the natural world also vividly demonstrates the ebb and flow of her own human emotions via tangible allegories.

From a personal perspective, Refuge stands as a treatise on grieving as well. I learned through TTW's experience that grieving is a process through which all must pass, whether it is a consequence of a loved one's death or the loss of a healthy physical body. There were many passages where I felt the author's tears must have mingled with the page and pen while writing this book. The book, however, is also about finding renewal and spiritual rejuvination - the determination to live life to its fullest and appreciate our blessings after the storm has passed. This does not imply that this is another feel-good book that brings you down and then heroicly lifts you up. I appreciated the fact that TTW was so honest with her feelings and unafraid to share with the reader her unsurities regarding her faith (particularly in life after death). It made the stories real and the healing more lasting. I put down this book feeling like I knew TTW in a very personal way, the way old friends intrinsically know each other having shared many similar experiences.

Peter J. Waite
 
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Peter Waite and his wife, Lara, live in Boston, Mass.  A Ph.D. candidate 
at Brandeis University, he spends most of his time plugging away at his 
dissertation, and whatever precious time that remains writing poetry, short 
stories, and essays.