SOUR CHERRIES AT BUC-EE’S

A humane and humanistic writer is revealed in this eclectic essay collection.

The author’s bio suggests a theme of journeys taken. Elberfeld is an avid traveler, and not just as a tourist; he’s actually lived abroad for long stretches, which gives him a true cosmopolitan bearing. His essay “Confederation of Multitudes” contrasts Hungary, where he worked as a teacher, with Switzerland, describing both countries in loving detail. Several of the essays, taking the form of gallery and book reviews, show a sensitive understanding of visual and literary arts (the author’s college degree was in art history). The title entry, “Sour Cherries at Buc-ee’s,” discusses the famous gargantuan travel stops that have become almost totemic in the South, but it ultimately drifts into a reverie of childhood travel and, in a lovely phrase, becomes a “palimpsest of a road trip.” A trip to Yellowstone National Park promises much but becomes a bitter disappointment, for the typical reasons: traffic jams, crowds, long lines, and so forth. But the author rallies at the end, examines this reaction, and tries to find a way to truly see the wonder of his travels. Such reflections (and the courage to look at oneself) are the hallmarks of a thoughtful essayist, which Elberfeld is. (The verb essay means to try, as in trying out ideas, and to be an essayist is to be a spelunker of one’s thoughts and beliefs.) One of the best pieces in this collection is “Chasing Summer on Nantucket,” the author’s account of vacationing on the island, which includes his reflections on Melville and Moby-Dick. The essay becomes a rumination on time and change, a sense of past and future. “Who is our Ahab now?” he asks. “Who is our white whale?” As the essay’s title suggests, it is really an elegy, and an eloquent one. The final piece, “Asynchronicity,” introduces readers to Elberfeld’s husband and opens with a wonderful and intriguing metaphor—“Russell and I take turns being the statue or the bendy carwash man”—which is an excellent description of two guys fumbling through their lives together.

A very thoughtful, wide-ranging, and well-written collection.