Katherine May chats with Sarah Moss, author of the memoir My Good Bright Wolf, where she navigates her challenging upbringing and the impact of eating disorders. They dive into the complexities of memory and how our recollections shape identity, questioning when meaning-making occurs. The conversation also addresses societal pressures on body image and diet culture, revealing the tension between personal integrity and external expectations. Moss reflects on nature's influence in her journey towards self-acceptance, providing profound insights into vulnerability and storytelling.
Sarah Moss explores the unsteady nature of memory and meaning-making, illustrating how childhood experiences are reinterpreted over time.
The discussion highlights the complexities of mental health narratives, using innovative storytelling to reflect fragmented cognitive experiences during eating disorders.
Deep dives
Reconnecting with Nature and Magic
Finding a way to reconnect with the world and discover magic within it is the central theme of the new book, Enchantment. The author emphasizes the importance of engaging with both nature and personal experiences to maintain that connection, particularly during difficult times. This quest for enchantment serves as a guide for readers to reflect on their perspectives and the beauty that surrounds them. By encouraging individuals to support local independent bookstores, the author advocates for community involvement and fostering relationships with the literary world.
The Complexity of Memory
The memoir, My Good Bright Wolf, delves into the intricate nature of memory and its inherent complexities. The narrative encapsulates the tension between conflicting memories, where one voice questions the validity of another, highlighting the struggle between personal experiences and external perceptions. This theme illustrates how childhood experiences can be interpreted differently over time, presenting a layered understanding of trauma and healing. The author showcases the importance of recognizing these complexities as an integral part of the human experience.
Complications of Podcasting and Advertisement
The author reflects on the economic realities of producing a podcast, acknowledging the substantial time and financial investments required. An instance of irony arises when a past sponsored advertisement for a diet company contrasts sharply with a conversation on the damaging effects of diet culture discussed within the episode. The author stresses that podcasts are not free endeavors; they require resources and commitment from creators who deserve fair compensation for their work. This candid discussion encourages listeners to appreciate the value of the content they consume, while also underlining the challenges faced by podcast creators.
Navigating Mental Health and Memory
The memoirist examines the impact of mental health on narrative and memory, particularly in the context of eating disorders. By using unconventional narrative structures, such as second and third person perspectives, the author seeks to reflect the fragmented nature of their cognitive experiences. This innovative approach allows the portrayal of various interjecting voices that challenge the protagonist’s memories, emphasizing the subjective nature of self-perception during mental illness. The author encourages a deeper understanding of these complexities and warns against the pitfalls of oversimplifying experiences related to mental health.
Recently, Katherine interviewed Sarah Moss about her incredible new memoir, My Good Bright Wolf, an account of growing up as a difficult girl in a difficult family, and how this ultimately led to her eating disorder. Throughout the book, she repeatedly argues against herself. A voice rises up in the text and says, What are you trying to claim here? That’s not how it happened! Why can’t you tell the truth?
The point she makes is that we are unsteady in our remembering. We’re often incredibly uncertain, not just about the content of our memories, but also what they represent. We're unsure when the meaning-making took place. Was it something that arose at the point that those events happened? Or was it something we constructed far later in adulthood? And if so, what purpose did they serve?