Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Sally Field, Simon & Schuster, $45.00.
It took seven years for Sally Field to write her autobiography. Solemn though it is at times, In Pieces reveals an earnest intent where the introspection is soul-searching of the personal kind. The self-portrait is also occasionally gut wrenching.
Now 72, this could well be the mysterious act of wanting to comprehend how Sally got to where she is today. It may also be a cathartic exercise where she strives to put an adhesive on the fragments of her spirit that have chipped and disintegrated over the course of her life.
Field was three years old when her parents separated. Then she went with her mother and older brother into the home of their maternal grandmother. Matriarch roles were well defined: being cared for by her mother, her grandmother, her great-aunt and her great-grandmother.
“It was kind of a no-man’s land,” Field says. “A world filled with women who would straighten up if a man walked in, who would set aside the triviality of their own work and quickly move everything out of the way. But the men, whoever, they were, never stayed long, and when the door slammed behind them the house seemed to breathe a sight of relief.”
While the best stories relate to her acting, there are times when the writing is often disordered and inexplicable. Field’s description of the early years of her career entertain, but the accounts of her more recent projects feel rushed, as she barely mentions her role in Steel Magnolias, Mrs Doubtfire and Forrest Gump.
It’s obvious to see: the outspoken memoir uncovers her persistent sense of isolation and an ongoing struggle to not only understand herself, but also her relationships with others.
Growing up around Los Angeles, some aspects of her early family life can be confronting, having been sexually abused by her stepfather from 12 years of age. Even her tense relationship with her alcoholic mother became difficult to maintain.
It’s entertaining to read about her early acting career and her sitcom roles in Gidget and The Flying Nun.
In 1968 she married her high school sweetheart, but it ended six years later. Then she met Burt Reynolds while filming Smokey and the Bandit. The three-year romantic relationship with Reynolds was unhealthy from the beginning: “Gently Burt began to housebreak me, teaching me what was allowed and what was not”.
Ultimately Sally Field delivers a poignant, intricate exposé.
