Unsolaced: Along the Way to All That Is

From the wilds of Wyoming to the ruins of Kosovo, into the melting Greenland ice, to the corruption in Zimbabwe, around the Channel Islands, author Gretel Ehrlich shows a restlessness as she attempts to see and try to understand this world. In her mystical, magical lyrical prose she describes her affluent background along with her sorrowful, mortal wounds. She reflects on her affinity to the Wyoming expanse, her bonding with her horses, dogs, and all nature; yet she feels compelled to explore the world and pay witness to the injuries being inflicted on the planet. In the Arctic, she witnesses the melting terrain and subsequent destruction of the Eskimo culture, in Africa she describes the desertification of the land and resultant food crisis, decries the demise of ranching on Santa Rosa Island, and recounts her slow and demanding entry into the cattle ranching world during the early years in Wyoming. Especially poignant is her recounting the mentoring of her helpful neighbor Mike. All the chapters are written with the poetic grace that this author so easily captures as she brings nature to mind. But some of the chapters need more adhesive to tie this memoir together. While the reading is compelling, some of the pages read like unedited diary notes.