cover image Key Grip: A Memoir of Endless Consequences

Key Grip: A Memoir of Endless Consequences

Dustin Beall Smith, . . Mariner, $12.95 (157pp) ISBN 978-0-547-05369-1

In his uneven first book, Smith presents the reader with scenes from his life, covering his career in the film industry, alcoholism, ego issues and a quest for meaning. Smith provides plenty of flashbacks from his years as a misguided, sky-diving 20-something and also tackles his existential battle at the age of 57 (in the opening chapter, which takes up a full third of the book, Smith treks up a hill to perform Native American meditation practices). Occasionally using vivid, descriptive language and other times passing over important topics in summary (the death of his first child, his second marriage), the author searches for a central theme, and despite the book’s title, being a key grip isn’t it; Smith doesn’t address that topic directly until he’s two-thirds of the way through his story. Other chapters, such as brief entries about snapping turtles, are more tangential than metaphorical. At times, Smith jumps from first to second person, with two chapters written from one version of himself to another. This lack of focus leads to patchwork reading, though some will doubtless be seduced by Smith’s forthright, rueful voice. (Aug.)