American Still Life

American Still Life tells the story of a young woman named Skade Felsdottir who revisits her hometown after running away from it and everyone in it, many years ago. This book was attention-grabbing from the get-go. With beautiful details about the descansos, or roadside memorials, that Skade is researching, to her struggle with addiction and self-loathing, American Still Life paints a picture that readers will find tugging at their souls.

As a photographer, Skade has been hired to create a book about a set of descansos called the Fieldings Totem Poles. The problem for Skade isn’t the totem poles themselves, but the fact that she must travel to Carleton, her hometown, to visit them. Author Jim Naremore does a fantastic job of allowing the reader into Skade’s brain, which lets them feel her emotions from scene to scene. From anxiety to dread to I-need-some-drugs-right-now, Skade’s shaky existence can be felt. I had a hard time putting this book down, as the story made me want to know what was going to happen next.

The characters in the book were essential to understanding the town of Carleton and why Skade left in the first place. When Skade first arrives, she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Lane. Because this is the only person in town she knows, she starts hanging out with him at his tattoo parlor. Then, when Skade is trying to take photos of the totems, she meets a literal roadblock. There is construction blocking access to them. Luckily, Skade meets a young woman named Kit who helps her gain access to the totems. Skade and Kit become friends because neither one of them has anyone in their lives. They are both alone, not by choice, and crave human interaction, although, at times, Skade pushes even her away. Kit is like the little sister Skade never had.

The best part of the book, although the whole thing is just so incredible, is the many plot twists. There are small hints Naremore throws at his readers nonchalantly that will make readers think, “Oh, I wonder who that was” or “I wonder what happened there,” but it’s not until the very end that all of the pieces come together. There were a few times I was reading, and I gasped out loud.

From its plot to its characters, to its setting, American Still Life is a meticulously crafted treasure that I would recommend to adults of all ages.