Triage by Claudia Rankine review
The American poet and essayist weaves memoir, fiction, criticism and lyrical lament into a tale of friendship in an age of existential crisis
TL;DR
- "Triage" by Claudia Rankine is a work that delves into the concept of truth and our response to overwhelming realities.
- The book centers on a friendship that begins in college and evolves over decades, shaped by activism and philosophical discussions.
- A central motif is a game where the friends collapse upon seeing each other, interpreted as a response to the world's 'toomuchness'.
- As the world becomes more tumultuous, the friends diverge in their approaches: one focuses on witnessing and grieving, the other on action and intervention.
- "Triage" validates both responses—witnessing and acting—and questions which approach is more hopeful in the face of global atrocities.
- The book proposes that trying in the face of defeat is meaningful, even if definitive success is not promised.