Anne Lamott's 20th book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, is a tender ode to what holds families, marriages, and communities together. These 10 autobiographical essays, bookended by an overture and a coda, celebrate love in its various forms, such as her fiercely protective care for her son and grandson, her comfortable connection with her husband, and the shared vulnerabilities and quiet acts of service in churches and neighborhoods. Lamott describes parishioners who gave bags of toiletries to people without housing during the Covid-19 pandemic and people who took in Ukrainian refugees, and documents her own attempts at offering practical and moral support for a dying friend.
Lamott (Help, Thanks, Wow; Almost Everything) draws on the personal memories that have fueled many of her works, including her dysfunctional upbringing, her father's death from brain cancer, and her years of alcohol and drug addiction before sobriety (a cycle repeated in her son's life). These subjects surface most explicitly in "Hinges," in which doors are symbolic of shutting others out or welcoming them in. "Up Above" finds the author literally clearing out her attic while metaphorically facing fears. She bravely acknowledges her faults, too, as in "Shelter," which recounts when a mentee turned against her for being judgmental, and in the title essay, which addresses the fallout of a transphobic retweet.
Lamott always hits the sweet spot between self-help and spirituality. She posits that human beings working together (perhaps with divine aid) create miracles, which is why she has hope in spite of the climate crisis. Realistic and reassuring, Somehow is another gem from a reliable guide. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck