Truth and Beauty
by Ann Patchett is an amazing book. It is funny and thought-provoking and heartbreaking
all in one. This book tells the story of Ann and her best friend Lucy Grealy.
The two women went to college together, but did not truly get to know each
other until they both attended a writer’s workshop together in Iowa. Since they
could not afford to have their own apartments, they decided to live together in
a condo. This was the moment their whole friendship began unfolding.
Lucy was diagnosed with cancer as a young girl. During her
early years, she experienced several treatments, including operations and a lot
of chemotherapy. Her surgeries left her with a chunk of her jaw removed from
her face. Throughout her life, she received numerous ultimately unsuccessful
operations to reconstruct her face. This left Lucy with very low self-esteem.
Lucy and Ann were unlikely friends. In college, Lucy was
extremely popular. Ann knew all about her, but Lucy had no idea who Ann was
until they began living together. The two had very different personalities.
Lucy was outgoing and eccentric while Ann was more calm and down-to-earth. Ann
compares their friendship to the fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant. In this
story, the Grasshopper spends the summer singing while the Ant stores food for
the winter. Come winter, the Grasshopper has no food and depends on the Ant to
survive. Ann says that she and Lucy were like the Grasshopper and the Ant. Lucy
was the whimsical one and Ann was the hardworking one. They needed each other
to survive.
Following the workshop, Ann and Lucy remained friends. They
were separated for a long time when Ann moved to California and Lucy moved to
Aberdeen, Scotland. They would still call each other and write letters. I found
the letters to be one of my favorite parts of the book. It gave me a wonderful
insight into Lucy’s life, and I loved how she put her heart into the letters. The
two each moved all over throughout the rest of their lives, but they never
lived together again.
Both being writers, the two women applied to numerous
workshops and publishers. For a long time, neither of them was accepted, but
still they persevered. Finally, Ann was accepted into a workshop in Princeton, Massachusetts
and Lucy was accepted into a Yaddo workshop in New York. From there, their
careers took off. Lucy published her only book, Autobiography of a Face, in 1994. She also published other works,
including poems and essays. Ann wrote a few novels and did some teaching. Their
stories prove that one can accomplish their goals through hard work and perseverance.
Lucy was a difficult friend at times. Because of her low
self-esteem, depression, and appearance, she faced a hard life. She often felt
unloved and unwanted. She would try to use sex to make men love her, but it
always left her heartbroken. She also had a habit of needing a lot of attention,
and often turned to Ann. She would get jealous of Ann’s boyfriends, and always
wanted Ann to say she loved Lucy more. Despite this, Ann was incredibly patient
with her. She loved Lucy with her whole heart.
Lucy’s depression led her to become addicted to drugs. She
died of an accidental heroin overdose in 2001. She thought she since she
survived her cancer and all her operations, she was invincible. Ann says that
her biggest mistake is that she had come to believe this too.
This whole book was captivating. It was a beautiful story of
two women becoming friends and making their ways through the world. While Lucy’s
death was heartbreaking, Ann and Lucy’s friendship will live on forever.
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