Photography as Life



This book is brilliant! Lillian Preston is a photographer during the 1960's and 70's, and Samantha is both her daughter and the subject of a series of highly controversial photos. The book is told from Samantha's perspective after Lillian's death, in an epistolary manner. Most of the book is framed as a catalogue for a MOMA show of Lillian's work, with each piece titled, dated, and interpreted. Additional exposition is contained in Lillian's diary entries, letters to a life-long friend, and other documents. While this sounds as though it might be jarring, Goldberg masterfully weaves Samantha's coming of age, Lillian's struggles with social and economic mores, a sense of the societal changes taking place in the 60's and 70's, and the relationship between Lillian and Samantha into these individual documents. The use of the photographic catalogue is so well done that it's almost impossible to believe that these photos do not actually exist outside of the novel. Goldberg's characterization is complete, making not only the mother/daughter duo come to life, but also the supporting characters. Her understanding of the challenges of single motherhood and their impact on both mother and daughter is astounding. Because it made me think deeply about motherhood, about the role of professional women in the 60's and 70's, and about photography, this was one of the best books I've read in a very long time. It felt like life, not words on a page.

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