The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

May 1, 2010
In this quiet but moving debut, essayist Bailey chronicles a year during which her fascination with the simple life of a snail kept isolation at bay and gave purpose to her life.

At age 34, the author was struck by a neurological disorder while vacationing in the Alps, and her condition rapidly deteriorated as her autonomic nervous system became dysfunctional:"all functions not consciously directed… had gone haywire." In order to receive care, she was moved from the Maine farmhouse where she had lived with her dog to a bare, one-room studio apartment where she was isolated from friends and family. The snail entered her life by chance when a visiting friend potted a violet and brought it to her, including the snail that had been sitting beneath its leaves. Bailey watched intently as the creature began to explore its new environment. Since it was nocturnal and her sleep was intermittent, the author had time to observe the animal eating, noting the"tiny, intimate sound" as it chomped on dead leaves from the violet plant or mushroom slices that she gave it. When her caregiver found the appropriate empty space, her friend helped to convert it into a roomy terrarium full of native plants from the snail's own woods. Although she had not been familiar with the snail's habits before welcoming her new companion, Bailey learned about the species through careful observation and the few things she was able to read during her recovery. Watching the snail was not only absorbing, but as the author was drawn into its"peaceful and solitary world," she was soothed and left with a profound sense of how"life itself continues to evolve."

A charming, delicate meditation on the meaning of life.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

August 1, 2010

Bailey, writer and artist, suddenly contracted a mysterious disease 15 years ago. In place of the strong, active, vibrant individual she had been, Bailey found herself forced by the physical constraints of the disease to move from her home in the New England countryside into a small efficiency apartment, and for several more she was confined to bed, too weak to move. To cheer her up, a friend presented her with a gift of wild forest violets accompanied by a forest snail found in the woods. Bailey quickly developed a passion for the little creature in the pot, and later terrarium, next to her and daily spent hours closely observing its life in minute detail. The fascination deepened as she recovered some of her health and was able to dig into the scientific research on snails. This work captures Bailey's frustration and puzzlement with the challenge of her unknown physical disease without the reader's noticing--the focus is on the snail. As noted in the epilog, seven years after the ailment began, the final diagnosis was determined: mitochondrial disease. VERDICT A small, short book filled with an enormous amount of natural history and science about snails; also, an acknowledgment of an individual's determination to recover and regain life with humor and insight. Highly recommended.--Michael D. Cramer, Schwarz BioSciences, RTP, NC

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2010
At age 34, Bailey was stricken with a mysterious virus while on a trip to Europe. Her healthy life had been full of activity, and now just the thought of getting up to get something was exhaustive. When a friend found some violets and brought her one in a pot, she also added a live snail below the violets leaves. Bailey wondered why she needed a snail, but after square holes began to appear in a letter propped on the violets pot, it occurred to Bailey that the snail needed food. She put a withered flower in the saucer below, and when the snail began to eat, Bailey realized that she could hear it eatingit was the sound of someone very small munching on celery. Soon the author realized she was attached, the snail providing an oasis of calm for her frantic and frustrated thoughts. She worried that the snails world was too artificial, so her caregiver created a woodland terrarium. Not only did the snail have a new home but Bailey had a new game: hide-and-seek with a snail. She began to read about snails, learning from scientists, early naturalists, poets, and writers, and found herself beginning to understand a snails world. And when her snail began to lay eggs, Bailey discovered that she might be the first person to record observations of a snail tending its eggs. This beautiful little book will not only make snail lovers of its readers, it will make them appreciate the small things in life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)