PDF The Point of Vanishing: A Memoir of Two Years in Solitude by Howard Axelrod in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. and it did not disappoint. The narrative moves back and forth between what ...By Nancy Diane MierzwikIt has always been my fantasy; and perhaps the fantasy of all writers; to spend large swaths of time alone; in the woods with the animals and trees and sky as my only companions. Unfortunately; with all my responsibilities and my inability to shirk those responsibilities; the closest I get to it is reading about another’s adventure. Reading The Point of Vanishing: a memoir of two years in solitude by Howard Axelrod is the closest I’ve come to realizing this fantasy; and it did not disappoint. The narrative moves back and forth between what drove Axelrod to seek refuge in the woods and his musings while there; a delicate dance that allows the reader to understand the motivations pushing him and the desires pulling him. His feelings are those I too have such as how “My privacy had always been a natural moat; a helpful protection” or his description of desire as “... like distant music; sometimes louder; sometimes softer; and it stole into every gap in my day - at breakfast over cereal; on my walks down Via Zamboni; in the evening as I came out of the shower. It was always waiting; and I desperately hoped it would turn into more than just music. I’d never felt anything like it. It seemed too persistent; too beautiful not to come closer and take form” which “... had connected with a longing that frightened me in its intensity.” The narrative is deep in the way a meditative hike through the woods should be. When Axelrod leaves his two years in the woods; it was with “relief and regret” though all I felt finishing the book was regret that it did not continue.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Bright Days Cut in HalfBy TonyA good looking; smart; literary; athletic young kid goes off to Harvard from his elite prep school and returns after four years with one working eye and the second eye an evolving piece of his body that serves no purpose. He still looks the same but his mind has not come to terms with his injury and he is lost in the world. He travels aimlessly; has meaningless sex and falls in love too easily. He then imposes isolation on himself in a bitterly cold; snowbound state..He spends two years convalescing with natural therapy - snow; insects; trees; wooded paths;sunshine and rain - and returns to the world. That is the story. I read this book and when I completed it I realized Howard Axelrod had written a memoir about PTSD; a superb one.Howard Axelrod is a wonderful writer who writes poetic prose. I look forward to his continued success.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Escaping For Better VisionBy I. Michael GrossmanDespite the recent loss of vision in an eye; Howard Axelrod escapes to the solitude of the Vermont woods for two years and learns to see more clearly. Luckily for his readers; he succeeds and shares his new vision skillfully; by combining words and using metaphor with a skill unusual for a first book author.Alexrod's journey to the woods is not essentially Thereauvian although comparisons are inevitable. Rather; he seeks solitude as an opportunity to self-discover. That's the point. The focus isn't philosophical at the core even though his return to suburbia elicits satirical amusement. Rather; Alerod's ability to look with a powerful sensitivity lets him bring us along on his search.While finding himself; Axelrod helps us find our own senses again. His writing; wonderfully inventive; helps us see nature; hear sounds like a native in an environment free of social distraction. As his reader; continuously I had a sense of what it would be like to return to my childhood; to see things the way I once did - yet also as an adult. That's no small accomplishment for an author and it means that those who read The Point of Vanishing will surely appreciate the point.