Dani Shapiro
January 21, 2010

103.

Devotion is a book written in 102 pieces, structured–depending on how you look at it–like a puzzle, a patchwork, a list.  Truthfully, I have been feeling bereft ever since I finished it.  Oh sure, I always feel a little at odds when I finish a book.  I miss the characters in my novels.  I have too much space in my head.  But this…this is different.  The years I spent writing Devotion were enormously absorbing, exciting, unnerving.  The book is a spiritual journey–and like any spiritual journey, there is no end to it.  There’s an end to the book, because the narrative of the book, crafted as it was, had come to it’s proper conclusion.  But an end to the journey?  I can’t imagine a point where I could ever possibly say: ok, this is good.  I’m done now.  The view from here suits me just fine.  So I am going to continue the journey of Devotion, here in this blog.  Welcome to 103 and beyond.  Let’s continue the journey together.