by Kim Dana Kupperman
Graywolf Press, $15.00, 202 pages
The thing about clouds is that they usually bring rainbows. I Just Started Buying Wings is a collection of autobiographical missives of Kupperman. She looks back at the problem areas in her life; the areas that helped define her personality and were among the hardest parts to deal with. And yet she seemed to not only survive those parts of her life, but thrive. This book details her heartache, dealing with the death of her father and her breakups, but also how she survives it.
She has a singular voice, one that seems to be tired of what happens to her, and yet daring another challenge to come her way. It is hard not to feel empathy for her and wish that you could wrap a blanket around her shoulders and give her a cup of tea.
Although the stories have the patina of depression on them, there is no debating the solid brass underneath it. Kupperman is a survivor, and for that we thank her. This is that book you pull up to on a rainy day and are looking for something a little depressing but occasionally exultant to bear the gray day.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim