Ehrlich visited Wyoming on assignment and, while there, her partner died. She decided not to leave. Her essays are a thoughtful, deep, well-observed look at the life, places, and people of the American West.
First things first – you should know that despite being raised in the country I’m a city girl, happier in canyons of concrete than wide open spaces.
My mother is the exact opposite and would be most at home at a ranch like the one Ehrlich worked on, and Solace has helped me see why.
Everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are.
She takes the myth of the cowboy straight on and describes how life on a ranch, mostly alone if not for the animals, molds them.
To be “tough” on a ranch has nothing to do with conquests and displays of power. More often than not, circumstances – like the colt he’s riding or an unexpected blizzard – are overpowering him. It’s not toughness but “toughing it out” that counts. In other words, this macho, cultural artifact the cowboy has become is simply a man who possesses resilience, patience, and an instinct for survival.
The writing is gorgeous, flowing, evocative. Ehrlich’s love for this unforgiving landscape seeps from the page and while I won’t be moving out West any time soon I finally get the appeal.
The Solace of Open Spaces invites you to inhabit and know a place on its own terms and I’m so glad I did.
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