Molly

Molly by Blake Butler (2023) 316 pages

I confess that I didn't know about the writer Blake Butler, who has published 9 full-length books, until I heard a bit of controversy over whether he should have "told all" in his memoir about his late wife, Molly Brodak, who took her own life in 2020. 

Molly was a college teacher and a poet who had been published widely, and may have been best known for her memoir "Bandit," in which she went into the effects her father‒a bank robber‒had on his family. Molly was a perfectionist in both writing and baking, but never seemed to trust that she was good enough or worthy enough. Blake has a strong work ethic, too, and is a devoted son to his parents, but he admits to having a temper and to drinking to a blackout state regularly.

Blake lets us into his relationship with Molly, starting on the day she kills herself, and then details how they met and gives the often-bumpy, but not fully chronological trajectory of their 10-year relationship, as well as the time after she has died, when he finds out things about Molly that he never would have suspected. Blake's writing is engaging, in spite of the difficult topic. Sections are separated by lots of white space, which makes it more readable. He quotes Molly's work frequently, and includes many photos.