One of the most beautiful books of 2007, The
Walk, by William deBuys, tells of life, death, crisis and
love in northern New Mexico.
It’s a poetic book, to be
sure, but one that’s entirely down-to-earth. Sometimes, when
writers recount their experiences farming or working the land, it’s
hard not to see them as dilettantes, more interested in crafting a
good tale than reaping a decent harvest.
DeBuys is
careful to remind readers that this spot has been his part-time
home for 27 years. But it’s clear that in the course of growing
alfalfa, timothy and other grasses, he has learned a few things:
how to irrigate a field, negotiate small-town friendships and
truces, even tether a homemade bridge so that it’s not entirely
lost to a summer flood.
DeBuys has always infused his
writing with clarity and passion. The Walk,
however, is his best book yet. It’s nice to walk with him across
his land, learning about an old mill, for example, or about the
trees peeled, perhaps by Apaches, to reach the edible cambium
inside. But this slim little book is inspiring simply because it is
so perfectly written. Consider his recollection of an afternoon
spent with his family. DeBuys works in the field, readying it for
irrigating, while his young daughter learns to gallop on a sorrel
mare. His wife and son walk through the tall grass. For the reader,
the light feels golden, the moment almost slack with pleasure. And
then, the afternoon ends, and there is this: “But seasons come and
go. Children grow. And the mare gets old.” In a sentence,
everything has changed.
Life is
what it is, DeBuys believes: Despite all our efforts to strive for
happiness or perfection, life has a rhythm of its own. Rainy years
come and go and are followed by persistent drought. Lovers divorce,
accidents occur, old friends die. Generations of dogs join our
strolls across the landscape. The only constant is the rhythm of
change. And that, deBuys helps us understand, is OK.
This
is not altogether a happy book; nor is it quite a sad one.
The Walk is a few shades shy of melancholy – and
it is altogether lovely.
The
Walk
William deBuys
176 pages,
hardcover: $22.95.
Trinity University Press,
2007.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline No ordinary stroll.
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