That's Why I Wrote That

...I discovered that if I trusted my subconscious, or imagination, whatever you want to call it, and if I made the characters as real and honest as I could, then no matter how complex the pattern being woven, my subconscious would find ways to tie it together -- often doing things far more complicated and sophisticated than I could with brute conscious effort. I would have ideas for 'nodes', as I think of them -- story or character details that have lots of potential connections to other such nodes -- and even though I didn't quite understand, I would plunk them in. Two hundred pages later, everything would back-fit, and I'd say, "Ah, that's why I wrote that." - Tad Williams

I just recently re-read The Dragonbone Chair, the first book in his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. While reading, I found myself just as enraptured with the different story lines and how they fit together within the overall plot as I was the first time I read it back in 1990.

Like perusing a scrapbook from the past, reading this book brought up memories from that earlier time in my life. I love Tad Williams, and have since I was first introduced to him by my first serious boyfriend, who I met shortly after the breakup between myself and the date to my senior high school prom, who had a name quite similar to that of the author. (It was probably the only reason I agreed to read the book in the first place.)

This new boyfriend was nothing like the prom date boyfriend. Where the prom date was tall and athletic, the new boyfriend was short and muscular. The prom date knew the ins and outs of an automobile engine like girls know how to apply mascara and walk in heels, while the new boyfriend's vehicle broke down frequently, often leaving us stranded and breaking curfew. Where the prom date was obsessed with things like NFL and hunting, the new boyfriend was a passive intellectual.

While re-reading The Dragonbone Chair, I wistfully reflected back on my relationship with the young man who let me borrow his copy - a huge deal in the world of book lovers. I wondered where he might be now, but not enough to look him up. There are many things I do not know about life and relationships, but I know to leave that door to my past closed and locked with several deadbolts.

That boyfriend and I, for a variety of reasons, didn't make it past the second book in the series. Upon reaching the end I slipped it into the mail even though he lived just a few miles from my parents' home. By the time the third was released in 1993, we were barely speaking and it was too awkward for me to ask to borrow his copy. Finding a library with one to loan took months, but it was well worth the wait.

Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower, which are respectively the second and third books in the trilogy, are on my 2012 reading list. I look forward to long afternoons revisiting the characters and following along with their adventures. If you've never read the series and are a fan of fantasy series books like Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, then you may find yourself a fan of Tad Williams, too.