J.D. Dolan's Phoenix is a tribute to his childhood hero, his older brother, John. Like most childhood heroes, John was placed on a pedestal. And like most childhood heroes, John fell off that pedestal as J.D. grew up. Phoenix is a simple and honest portrayal of the happiness, bitterness, silence and forgiveness shared between brothers.
In being honest, Dolan opens himself up to criticism for five years of unexplained silence between them while John was dying in the burn unit of Maricopa County Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz. J.D. leaves the hospital to go on long drives, confiding that he does not see much hope for his brother.
But his honesty also opens him up for understanding. "I have people come up to me after reading the book and say, 'My father stopped talking to me,' " Dolan says. "I hope the story goes beyond my own circumstances and addresses some bigger issues."
Bigger, universal issues are what many of today's literary memoirs attempt to discuss. Although Dolan's perspective may not match every reader, his search for meaning in the death of his brother can connect with the search many of us make for meaning in our lives. The reader may identify with John or one of J.D.'s sisters, but the importance of the literary memoir is the connection which reassures the reader and the author that they are dealing with similar issues.
Dolan also recognizes his story as one that many have experienced. "We lose people we love, and we have this terrible regret that we didn't do enough for them during their lives," Dolan says. Therefore, he sees Phoenix as delivering a message: "We should make an effort to stay connected to the people we love."
One way Dolan remains connected to his brother is through driving, which is why he is doing a 38-city driving tour to promote the publication of Phoenix. "I find driving very meditative," Dolan says. "I have a lot of good memories of driving with my brother." His book shares many of these memories as the two brothers speed off to another desert adventure.
Dolan says that, although this story may seem like the obvious one to write, it was not the easiest choice. While studying fiction at Syracuse University with Tobias Wolff, author of This Boy's Life, Dolan consulted him for ideas for a book. Wolff rejected all his ideas, until Dolan told him about his brother.
"I knew that I'd be taking the most risks with this story," Dolan says. "I tried to write it as a short piece, then I decided that if I was going to do this, I had to do it to honor my brother."
John died a month after his 39th birthday, and J.D.'s goal was to finish the first draft of the book on the day he became older than his big brother. Dolan says, "I guess I never imagined being older than him. He was always and will always be in a certain way my big brother."
Phoenix shares many short stories from J.D. and John growing up with an 11-year difference between them. Warm memories of cars, Christmas presents and motorcycle races are framed within the cold reality of the sterile, silent hospital burn unit. Dolan says, "I think the biggest challenge of this book was avoiding sentimentality. We all go through loss, guilt, grief ... That in itself does not make it worthwhile. The sentiment must be earned."
The sentiment is earned through Dolan's honesty and narrative. Phoenix does not contain much dialogue because Dolan's family didn't talk a great deal. But Phoenix does contain many bittersweet moments only experienced within a family, including sisters arguing over clothes and brothers target shooting together.
The memories form a story that resembles the Egyptian myth of the Phoenix that burns, rises from the ashes and is ready to fly. Of course that description is grand, while Dolan's Phoenix is a simple story about the wonderful (and not so wonderful) parts of growing up.
It is a simple tribute to a childhood hero who fell and was redeemed as what he was to begin with: a brother.
J.D. Dolan will discuss and sign Phoenix at Jospeh-Beth Booksellers on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and at Books & Co. on April 13 at 7 p.m.
