Man’s trip with a broken heart
In the years since Eat, Pray, Love exploded onto the literary scene, memoirs chronicling women’s heartsick pilgrimages to romantic cities have flooded the market. But we hardly ever hear from male writers in the same situation. Until now, that is. Intrepid Calgary author Glenn Dixon’s latest travelogue Juliet’s Answer: One Man’s Search for Love and the Elusive Cure for Heartbreak is noteworthy for its fresh take on this popular premise, but also for its candour and vulnerability.
In this book, his third work of nonfiction, we find the former Grade 10 English teacher trying to make sense of an unrequited love that he’s struggled with for decades. Lost and alone, and unsure how to proceed in life, he turns to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — which he teaches to his students — and to the romance capital Verona, where the epic tale is set. Will this work of art, and this ancient city, give him the sense of direction he so desperately needs?
Dixon decides to find out. He ventures across the ocean to the storied Italian spot, where he volunteers for the Juliet Club (Club di Giulietta), a local commu- nity group that answer the daily deluge of letters from broken-hearted people around the world seeking advice from Juliet. Spanning two trips, Dixon’s story unfolds against a stunning backdrop of history, architecture, literature, opera and, of course gelato. In learning about the age-old text and its magical setting, Dixon learns about the human condition and, ultimately, about his own heart.
Juliet’s Answer is a well-crafted, visually descriptive, aptly-researched memoir about love and loss. But its lasting impact will likely not be in the chick lit or travelogue genres it belongs to, but in the wider societal project of expanding our understanding of masculinity. Juliet’s Answer gently smashes the stereotype of the stoic man and brings male suffering over affairs of the heart into focus. That the book is able to do this while still being a light and easy read is its chief strength. Tara Henley is a writer and radio producer.