In Praise of Inadequate Gifts

Winner of the Wandering Aengus Book Award, Tarn Wilson''s memoir-in-essays In Praise of Inadequate Gifts explores the varied ways we cope with trauma and loss-and the miraculous, awkward, and imperfect process of renewal.

Wilson explores a wide range of topics: her obsession with teeth, why she doesn''t have children, the summer she spent soldering keyboards for Chrysler Le Barons. She traces the effects of her mother''s rape, her confusion after her friend''s mother is murdered, her own divorce and struggle with anxiety, and her complex grief after the death of her distant father and mentally ill mother.

Wilson considers these difficult experiences with curiosity and gentle humor. Her honesty, empathy, and lack of self-pity make us feel we are sitting down with a trusted friend, inviting us to give voice to our own hard journey. Ultimately, this collection is about the redemptive power of kindness and connection. "Love''s gestures are so unassuming, so ordinary, so clumsy, so imperfect - yet, miraculously, they hold something larger than themselves, big enough to press back against the darkness." 

Through her experimentation with form, Wilson''s multifaceted reflections reveal how we come to understand our stories and the choices we make as we construct the narrative of our lives.