I freely admit that most of what I read is very much in the “purely entertainment” category. Mysteries, horror, the occasional chick lit. But once in a while, the blurb on the back (the lofty standard by which I make most of my selections) of a non-fiction, more “serious” book catches my attention. Such was the case with Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams.

Refuge is the true story of a time in Williams’ life when she was dealing with mortality, both within her family and within the natural world she loved. Williams lives near the Great Salt Lake, and the book covers a period of time in the mid-1980’s when the lake rose to unprecedented levels, threatening surrounding areas, particularly the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. She grew up with the nature, and particularly the birds, of the Great Salt Lake as an integral part of her life. As an adult, Williams became a naturalist both professionally and personally. She knew the birds of the area, having meticulously observed them for most of her life. The book is broken down into thirty-seven short chapters, all but one titled after Williams’ beloved birds and with a notation as to the level of the lake.

Running parallel to the story of the rising of the lake is the story of Williams’ mother’s struggle with cancer. Diane Tempest first had cancer at age 38, to which she lost a breast, but survived miraculously at a time when survival was very unlikely. Her battle as she faces the disease again, as well as her relationship with her daughter, is presented in the book as an accompaniment to the rising of the lake, replete with metaphor. Williams is virtually surrounded by cancer, sufferers and survivors, during this time in her life. Williams structured Refuge with bits and pieces of her mother’s story, as well as the stories of the other affected women, surrounded by mini tutorials about the natural world, and an occasional reference to the Mormon faith. As she chronicles the destruction caused by the rising saline water, she also chronicles the destruction caused within her family by an insidious disease. It is not until the very last chapter of the book that she reveals the suspected cause of the rampant cancer in her family.

The stories told in Refuge are fascinating. The natural, yet unheard of and unanticipated, rising of the Great Salt Lake created an untold amount of change in the environmental balance of the entire area. Salinity is altered, birds are displaced, and entire areas are reclaimed by the unrelenting lake. The stories of the women in the Tempest family are equally riveting, albeit in a much different way. Williams’ mother and grandmother both talk of their mortality with candor. Williams talks about her own grief at the passing of so much of her family.

The problem with Refuge does not lie in the stories being told, rather in the format chosen to tell them. The structure fails the story in several ways. One significant failing is in the fragmented nature in which the stories are told. Small snippets of each story are interwoven throughout the narrative. This in itself could have been very successful, giving the author abundant opportunity to relate her personal world with the natural world. The problem lies in the lack of detail given to the actual stories. We are told bits and pieces of both the rising lake and the ravaging cancer, but much is glossed over or skipped entirely. Williams simply leaves too much out of both stories.

The second structural issue involves what she puts in place of complete stories. The ornithology is overly played. Unless you really, really like birds, chances are you will get lost in the authors profound love for them. The mini-tutorials that I mentioned earlier disrupt the story rather than add to the texture.

Finally, and most profoundly, perhaps as a result of the structure, the author fails at a basic level to bring the reader into her world. Because the segments are so fragmented and bereft of basic detail (although abundant with specific detail such as the form of a feather) we have a hard time imagining the things Williams is so valiantly trying to describe. While her love of these places and these people is obvious, the lack of sufficient descriptive narrative keeps reader at arms length. The language used to describe places and phenomena, as well as people, is as likely to confound as envelope. The reader as likely to be confused as enlightened by the images described. There is simply too much effort placed on style and metaphor, and not enough placed on character and story. As a result, the book does not carry the emotional or intellectual punch that the stories deserve.

Overall, Terry Tempest Williams has created an unusual combination work in Refuge. Ornithology, geography, mortality and faith are all touched on in an attempt to relate all things. Unfortunately, this goal is undermined by too little story and a too fragmented structure. I will say that if you have a great interest in birds and a working knowledge of the Great Salt Lake area, this book may be absolutely right for you. For others, the effort of trying to form a mental picture from the author’s words makes the book shaky, and the lack of detail in the main story lines ultimately sabotages the work.


*I would have given this 2 1/2 stars were that an option.

Recommended: No