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A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume - 4* - My Review

Twenty-five-year-old Frankie works at a gallery. She has graduated from art school but has not been able to make her living at it and has become depressed while living in the city. She asks her mother if she can stay in her deceased grandmother’s house in the Irish countryside. Her mother agrees but asks Frankie to attend mental health counseling. After one session, Frankie refuses medication and does not return. The storyline follows her life in the country, where she walks about, bicycles, and takes photos of dead animals as part of a new artistic endeavor. She sets rules around her project, where she cannot kill an animal nor move it from where it has died. We spend a lot of time in her head, as she tests herself on her memory of (real) artworks and art history.

This is a low-key book. It portrays Frankie’s struggle with mental illness. It also details the manner in which art is an integral part of how she views the world. She sees things that others might pass by, bringing a critical artistic eye to what many of us would consider inconsequential. It is not earth-shaking, but the highlight for me is the elegant writing style. Sara Baume is one of my favorite authors. I didn’t like this one quite as much as some of her others (my favorite so far is Seven Steeples) but definitely worthwhile. I especially recommend it for those who enjoy art and art history as key elements of a story.