By Megan Thomas
I had the pleasure of reading a sample of this new memoir from Literary Friction’s Octavia Bright after the Canongate / Serpent’s Tail showcase last year, and so was quick to jump at the opportunity to review the full memoir for nb magazine in the Light issue.
Here is a snippet from my review, followed by some further thoughts, but I highly recommend you get either a copy of nb or subscribe to the magazine. The next issue is due to drop very soon 😍
“Over the seven years since her last alcoholic drink, Bright reflects on more than just her addiction but on her identity as an addict, as well as the simultaneous rediscovery and loss of self through her father’s Alzheimer’s. This parallel is striking and Bright captures this duality with both poetic retrospection and a coarse realism – with ragged grace, even.”
Though I haven’t read a huge amount on the topic of alcohol addiction and the subsequent topic of abstinence, I’ve read enough to really feel that This Ragged Grace is unique. It goes beyond the flesh – the physical act of giving up alcohol as well as the bodily side effects – and sucks out the marrow – the psychological impact of chemical dependency that feels more like a personal relationship than an illness.
When Bright’s life seems to have been lived for so long as if run by two people, the natural self and the addicted self, it was incredibly moving to read about the process of yanking them apart, throwing out the latter, and moving on lighter than before, while still acknowledging the impact of such a substantial loss, especially when it has always felt like the parasitic addict was the one in charge.
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