“Ongoingness” has been widely praised for its innovative style, its unflinching honesty, and its profound insights into the human condition. The book has been compared to the work of other experimental writers, such as Lydia Lunch and Chris Kraus, and it has been hailed as a landmark of contemporary memoir.
References: Manguso, S. (2016). Ongoingness: The End of a Diary. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Ongoingness Sarah Manguso Pdf
The book is also a meditation on the nature of diary writing itself. Manguso is acutely aware of the artificiality of the diary form, and she often self-consciously addresses the reader, blurring the lines between private and public, self and other. Her entries are frequently addressed to an unnamed interlocutor, and she’s not afraid to break the fourth wall, acknowledging the reader’s presence even as she’s writing for herself. (2016)
For readers interested in exploring “Ongoingness” further, a PDF version of the book is available online. However, it’s worth noting that the book’s physical format is an integral part of its overall effect, with its compact size and elegant design adding to the sense of intimacy and immediacy that pervades the text. The book is also a meditation on the
The diary entries that make up “Ongoingness” are brief, fragmented, and often cryptic, reflecting the author’s experimental approach to writing. Manguso eschews traditional narrative structures and instead opts for a more fluid, impressionistic style that mirrors the associative nature of memory. The result is a book that feels both intimate and elusive, like a whispered secret shared between friends.
Throughout the book, Manguso grapples with fundamental questions about identity, creativity, and the human condition. She writes about her relationships, her family, her body, and her own mortality, often in ways that are both humorous and devastating. Her entries are frequently dated, but they’re not always linear, and the book’s structure is intentionally disjointed, reflecting the fragmented nature of memory and experience.