“Just Once, No More: On Fathers, Sons, and Who We Are Until We are No Longer,” by Charles Foran, and published by Knopf Canada is the first memoir in my 5-minute book review series. It’s the perfect segue between fiction and non-fiction. The writing is drippingly poetic and dreamy, and the author, Charles Foran, keeps the reader wondering at points what’s real and what’s not.
Charles says that the decision to write about his father, when his father turned 83 and entered the hospital for good, took him by surprise. Ultimately, “Just Once, No More” is an elegy to a father, but also for a life that is fragile and elusive. The author experiences life so deeply that the beauty of everyday moments is not lost on the reader, either.
This book opened my eyes to what a memoir can be. It’s small, not only in length at under 200 pages, but micro focused on one man, one family and that feeling of loss that comes with aging.
Sometimes in writing memoirs, we want to go big. This book served as a reminder, that by focusing so particularly on a small subject — and really placing it under a microscope — it can resonate so deeply and with so many.
Have a suggestion for a book pick? Leave a comment. Did you read or buy one of my previous picks? Let me know!
Leah’s (Previous) Picks:
In The Courtyard of the Kabbalist, by Ruchama Feuerman. Buy it here.
Here is Still Here, by Sivan Slapak. Buy it here.
Songs for the Brokenhearted, by Ayelet Tsabari. Buy it here.
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