“Adopted individuals typically stay with a quiet, lifelong fracture, a deep sense of being unmoored, a sense of not belonging. No quantity of reassuring phrases fill that void. We’re by no means fairly relaxed. By no means totally dwelling.” — Louise Brown, “Fifteen Minutes” Sure human experiences are ineffable. They’re deeply visceral, altering our…
Reviewed by Amy Roost Because the title of On the Nook of Previous and Future: A Assortment of Life Tales (Bison Books; October 2025) suggests, Pamela Joern’s three-part memoir in essays is anxious with intersections, particularly the intersections of time and place, reminiscence and fact, and life and artwork. The opening chapter, “On the lookout…