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I want to state for the record, that I would like George Saunders to narrate my life (on paper, not in audio).

I have a complicated relationship with Russian literature. I love it, for sure, but I also find it tedious, more often than not. My mother, on the other hand, has a singular, almost undying love for Russian short stories. I think she's read them all, and she'll read them all again. A creative writing class, taught through the lens of understanding and appreciating Russian literature, therefore, was a little up my alley. And not surprisingly, I have a complicated relationship with this book as well. To begin with, how do I review a "review" (or a series of them, if we're being pedantic)? Because, in this book, Saunders goes through short stories by the Russian greats, and teaches us the elements of reading, understanding, and writing.

I should say, before I start, that in spite of what my rambling, expletive-laden reviews would have you believe, I actually do know how to write. I've taken some creative writing classes in my day, and I used to be a journalist. In many ways, thus, a lot of Saunders' analysis and writing was a bit of a repetition of what I've already learnt (like the process of revision - Who cares if the first draft is good? It doesn't need to be good, it just needs to be, so you can revise it. ). Re-reading and revising your first draft is the single most important lesson you'll probably learn from most creative writing classes. However, there was so much of it that was not. For one, it was incredibly interesting to read Saunders' own perspectives on these oft-analysed stories. For another, he goes into detail about his own writing process, which was probably my favourite part to read.

It is also humbling and a little bit incredible to read about Saunders' reverence to the craft. When he talks about it, about the act of writing, as opposed to the art, you get the sense that he's given himself to it. And that many times, he lets it lead him to where he's meant to go, as opposed to the other way around. This was a profound lesson for me. At this exact time and space for me, now, I've been grappling with not having control over things-the tiny, mundane things, and the big, life-altering things. Perhaps that was my life lesson from this masterclass - to let the things take me where I have to go. Or perhaps, it's not really a metaphor for life at all (but look at the title). Either way, reading this book gave me a bit of hope during some really trying times, and if for no other reason than that, I highly recommend this.