Book Review: We Loved It All: A Memory of Life by Lydia Millet

Known for her award-winning fiction writing, author Lydia Millet (Sweet Lamb of Heaven, A Children’s Bible), here turns her lyrical style to the memoir and while not perfect, the results are enchanting and deeply moving. Only loosely structured, the book flows through thoughts and recollections that vary in length from a single short paragraph to several pages, each just long enough to convey its intended idea in eloquent prose. The focus isn’t solely, or even primarily, on her own life however, as she allows her thoughts to roam across the nature of humanity, our worries and fears, the beauty of the world around us, and most importantly, the peril we have put it in.

The free-flowing and non-chronological arrangement can sometimes make it feel like she’s just rambling, especially towards the book’s midsection, but she proves adept at tying her thoughts together when needed to drive home a particular point. It’s charming to read about some of the more outrageous events she’s experienced, often relayed with a friendly wit, and her inner thoughts are often easily relatable (“I’ve always felt I look better in mirrors than in photos. Whenever I have to look at a photograph of myself instead of a mirror image, it feels like my familiar home has just turned out to be a hovel.”), keeping the reader easily engaged.

But despite (or perhaps because of) all the rhapsodizing over the beauty of nature and the joys of a life well-lived, there is a deep well of sadness that permeates the book. Millet, like many of us, can’t help but look at the wonders that exist around us and feel a sense of loss, knowing that the choices we’ve made as a species will likely lead to the erasure of much of it, and that her own children or grandchildren may only ever hear of it as a remembrance. Every time she catalogs one of the amazing creatures that are being driven to extinction, the sense of awe her writing inspires is also paired with mourning over their pending disappearance. She does evoke some hope that perhaps humanity will course correct in time, and if more people appreciated the incredible gift we’ve been given maybe we might. But if our world is fated to become nothing more than a memory, at least it’s been captured as beautifully as it is here. ★★★★