As Dessa so aptly sings, “I know that jealousy’s a perfect waste of time, but left to my devices, I’ve spent far too long wasting mine” (“Call off Your Ghost“). And Dessa’s new book, My Own Devices, perfectly shows that Dessa, for all of her philosophizing and her celebrity, is just a fragile human being, like the rest of us. Anyone who has followed her music career will recognize many of the common themes, several prominent images, and (of course) specific lyrics from her songs: water, flying, kites, and the ache of a love that seems like it should complete you even when it tears at your heart and soul.
Dessa’s own voice comes through as clear as the bells that she often mentions in her songs. Yes, that’s a cliché, but it’s appropriate as I discuss a book that is, at its core, a story of longing to break free from being a lovelorn cliché while attempting to remain true to self when the desired love isn’t fully compatible with one’s self. Am I willing to compromise who I am to have this love that I do not want to let go?
Dessa attempts to answer this question by tracing through her life and the many people who helped shape who she is through various types of love. We catch glimpses of her best friend and bandmates along with fully fleshed shots of her mom, her dad, and her brother. We see her as that “flat-chested, gap-toothed girl” (from her song “Mineshaft 2,” but also mentioned in the book) she used to be to, but we also get to know her as she is today, a grown woman who is so certain of so many things, yet so torn about matters of the heart.
I often make the mistake of attributing a singer’s real-life world for a song’s story. Dessa is a complex autobiographical lyricist for whom the sung story is real. Long-time fans will enjoy filling in the blanks of song-stories and themes, but newcomers need not fear disappointment. The author’s candor and openness in dealing with a host of collectively human emotions and experiences holds something for everyone. Her ability to run through the entire range of human feeling and desire in one album (or sometimes even one song) is not lost in long form. No, in fact, her ability is more poignant and hard-hitting than ever in this book.
All opinions in this review are my own. Book reviewed via an ARC from NetGalley.com, but (of course) I’d already put in my pre-order long before requesting the ARC. And I’ll definitely be re-reading as soon as my physical copy arrives!