Book Review: You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
Goodreads Description: In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself in lyrical vignettes that shine, hard and clear as jewels. The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy.
My Review: Maggie Smith is a poet by trade, so it's no surprise that her memoir is part prose and part poetry. The book is very much a conversation between you, the reader, and Smith herself, as she personally invites you into her emotional reality. Smith frequently breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the reader and even addresses them as such. This kicks up the sense of intimacy, but also seats you inside her story as an active participant. Many books invite you to disappear into the story of another, to become someone else, so I found it particularly striking that in this memoir about self-actualization, Smith never forgets that you, dear reader, have value just as you are.
There's a fair bit of repetition to the book, from framing devices to certain phrases, but this gives structure to a story that largely has no structure -- healing, after all, does not follow the plot beats of the hero's journey. By re-using certain poetic structures, such as the strawmen conversation or the way her house looks on Google maps, Smith is able to beautifully communicate the imperceptible inner change taking place over the course of the book. While some readers may be put off by this style, there's a cadence to the repetition that gives the narrative a melodic rhythm.
While I enjoyed the book on the whole, I will admit the story loses steam in the second half as the more dramatic elements of Smith's divorce conclude. However, some of the best moments come from this slower-paced half of the book, including some of the best musings on life and happiness. The book culminates with powerful messages around self-love and learning to be single again after a long relationship, which could be very meaningful for those facing independence after spending their life as half of a whole. How do you build a life about you, for you, and filled with all the love and joy you deserve, when you've only ever built a life around someone else? Smith's book makes an excellent case for how.
TL:DR: 5/5 stars. A deeply emotional reflection on marriage, happiness, and love.
