RaveThe New RepublicA thoughtful exploration of breath through the lens of psychoanalytic thinking ... By way of elegant digressions through theory, anecdotes from her practice, and stories from her own life, Webster argues that in forgetting the significance of the act of breathing—forgetting the reality of our shared dependence on air—we bury the significance of certain experiences in our lives and ignore our profound interconnectedness. But one of the many strengths of this strikingly intelligent, rigorous, and unusual book is that Webster does not corral her stories too forcefully toward this one thesis, or present only the information that would advance a single argument, an approach that helps her avoid unconvincing, forced connections and makes room for an appealing strangeness ... Throughout the essays, her tone is authoritative but more curious than argumentative ... She often poses questions and leaves them unanswered, explicitly inviting more thought from the reader ... On Breathing is a short book, but it covers a surprising amount of ground ... She is adept at relaying personal information in a manner free of overwrought emotional declarations but deeply moving all the same ... Again and again, Webster guides the reader through surprising material, fluidly making genuinely unexpected links as she goes. And again and again she resists a declarative ending ... There are a few instances in On Breathing when Webster ends an essay in an unnecessarily and uncharacteristically sweeping fashion ... On Breathing does not deliver pat conclusions or promises to save the world. Perhaps because of this, it feels refreshingly honest, probing, and curious. When life is shaped too forcefully into an argument, its real texture is lost. On Breathing has retained that texture, that strangeness. My mind wandered into new plains as I was reading, partly because a lot of the material in On Breathing felt unexpected. But also partly, I think, because Webster’s curious, generous tone and method of approach invite an expansiveness of thought from the reader. I wouldn’t expect a book to offer more.
Rachel Kushner
RaveThe Telegraph (UK)A remarkably original book, in which profound meditations on the human condition are embedded thoughtfully and convincingly within the scaffolding of a thriller, and within the thoughts of characters who are memorably drawn.
CJ Hauser
MixedThe New RepublicThe weakness of many of the essays in The Crane Wife is that Hauser tends to elide the subjectivity of her experiences in favor of sweeping generalities that don’t quite ring true—particularly in statements about the way women are and how they act, and hence the form heterosexual relationships tend to take ... It’s not only that generalities such as this one aren’t really true to life, but that leaning on them can steer the essays in The Crane Wife away from more specific and interesting and, paradoxically, universal territory ... When \'that’s the way women are\' takes the place of \'that’s the way I am,\' the anecdotes can feel pat and under-examined ... The tendency to generalize is a shame because Hauser is excellent at capturing the weird, beautiful essence of life when she deals in the specifics. The Crane Wife is full of fascinating, vividly drawn characters ... At points, the language can be a little too swashbuckling for my tastes, but Hauser’s writing has a genuine warmth and kindness that is entertaining and engaging in equal measure ... The men Hauser gravitates towards dating in her thirties are not well drawn ... maybe that’s the thing about morals and stories: Even us women don’t all see the same one.
