“I married this place as much as I married this person.”
In PLACES WE LEFT BEHIND, Jennifer Lang explores and interrogates some of the big, if most difficult questions many of us face at some point in our lives: What is Home? What does it mean to put roots down and/or leave that place? Where do safety and stability factor in when one considers a career, buying a house, raising a family?
Lang has written a “memoir-in-miniature” which means the different chapters are usually less than two pages, sometimes much shorter than that. They unfold as a series succinct observations, meditations, and memories filtered through the woman who experienced everything she’s writing about. These chapters do not flow in sequential order, and function not unlike memory itself: one thought prompting another, or one memory calling to question what one remembers, and how different individuals in the same family may (and often do) have different interpretations.
Lang’s prose is accessible and deeply relatable (I can’t think of a single mother who wouldn’t read this book and be nodding in recognition and solidarity throughout). It’s also a document of courage and hope, at balancing what one wants in the moment vs. what might work out best in the longer term, how to take into consideration spouses, children, and one’s own needs and desires. The memoir deals with the always-challenging topic of religion with grace and generosity, and the reader is likely to learn more about Israel, being Jewish, and some of the customs and traditions not familiar to the average contemporary American. This is all for the best, as it’s work that inspires dialogue, promotes understanding, and employs compassion alongside reflection (at times brutally honest).
It was delightful to talk with Jennifer about this book, including the craft of memoir writing, the importance of editors and mentors, how (and why!) we should support our literary magazines, and why yoga can be instrumental in helping any creative achieve some mental and physical clarity.
Purchase PLACES WE LEFT BEHIND at our independent bookselling partner The Potter’s House.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn’t perfect. Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she’s a secular tourist, he’s an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home. In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read between the lines.
“For anyone who has ever loved deeply and been willing to take risks for the sake of love.”
– Rachel Barenbaum, author of Atomic Anna
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs israelwriterstudio.com. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal, longtime yoga practitioner and instructor. Two unconventional books forthcoming, Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature (9/5/23) and Landed: A yogi’s memoir in pieces & poses (10/15/24) both with Vine Leaves Press.
Website: israelwriterstudio.com
Instagram: @jenlangwrites
Facebook: facebook.com/jenlangwrites and facebook.com/israelwriterstudio
