Katherine Vaz’s Our Lady of the Artichokes contains very well-written stories. Vaz’s stories are very intriguing to me because of her writing style. The way she strings together words to create a vibrant picture of her surroundings is an important skill to have in writing.

For example, in “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arms,” Vaz writes “His wound was violet, and blood pulsed through. I never looked away from it. I swallowed my vomit when it struck the back of my clenched teeth; I was ready to swallow my insides as often as necessary — it was important to gaze at his flesh exactly as it was because I would not have it with me for much longer.”

In three sentences, Vaz is able to accomplish more than many other writers could ever do. She not only describes what her father’s wound looks like; she also describes how she is feeling and she does it in a very descriptive manner. When she says “I swallowed my vomit,” I could feel what she was talking about. I was able to understand what she was feeling and I wanted to read more.

Shortly afterwards, Vaz writes “A brain lesion gave him double vision. Everything wore a register of itself, a crown of haze.” Such descriptive language immediately drew me in from the beginning. I love how she described the brain lesion as a “crown of haze” because it is easily imaginable.

Our Lady of the Artichokes is a beautifully written book. Readers can feel Vaz’s words and I think that is important in any piece of writing.