"Exploring Self-Exposure and Infinitude: Leslie Jamison's 'Splinters' Balancing Act"
Leslie Jamison's new memoir "Splinters" delves into her personal experiences, recounting the birth of her child and the end of her marriage. Known for her careful balancing acts of self-exposure, Jamison's writing often includes intensely personal details, and "Splinters" is her first book drawn entirely from her own life. In her graduate course at Columbia University, she addresses the challenges of writing in the first person, exploring different aspects of the self that can come through in a work. Jamison's character on the page is described as a "partial, built thing," reflecting her deliberate choices in shaping the narrator's voice and presence.