This is a review of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. This book is extremely near and dear to my heart. I have never felt more like I may have written this book in another life. It is the story that I wish that I had had the bravery to tell about my own dealings with my health and autonomic dysfunction. It is startlingly endearing and brings to light many questions about our narrator that never get answered, however- it is a satisfying non-fiction story about a woman struggling to survive an illness that is eating away at her body and soul. One day and friend visits her on her sickbed and gives her a momentous gift: a potted violet with a small brown garden snail hidden in it’s soil. The author is shocked to find it and realizes that this small gastropod is the only pet she could dream of being able to take care of in this moment. She then proceeds to study The Snail in a way that is deeply meaningful and scholarly and, most of all, poetic. It is not a book of poetry, but more like a field guide or naturalists story about a small but mighty creature that has a surprisingly deep way of touching your heart. I would give this book 5 stars, but that may be because of personal bias, having found it extremely hard to find books about people like myself. I would recommend it to lovers of fiction and non-fiction alike. This tranquil tale is best enjoyed with a large cup of chamomile tea while sitting in the garden.
-Rosey the Reader.
