Bluets by Maggie Nelson

            The form of this story is many numbered propositions. While some connect to the next one, others take on a completely new subject. However, the overall theme of the story is Nelson’s love of the color blue. By using this form, Nelson is able to alternate between sharing relatively objective quotes and facts, and telling the reader something very personal about herself. The style makes the story very readable, because it is like you’re reading small little chapters, which makes it easier to read many in one sitting. In terms of the content, I believe that Nelson’s exploration of the color blue is deeply personal, despite the fact that she sometimes writes about something that doesn’t directly relate to her.

            Nelson expresses her depression and how she lost someone she loves, among other topics. The moments when she talked about her depression were the most affecting for me, such as these lines: “Mostly I have felt myself becoming a servant of sadness. I am still looking for beauty in that” (Nelson 29). I think the form allows many instances for Nelson to talk about emotions and color, particularly if this involves scientific research or definitions. One of my favorite objective moments comes when Nelson talks about crying: “Blue-eye, archaic: ‘a blueness or dark circle around the eye, from weeping or other cause” (Nelson 35). Though this is the definition of a phrase, it also reveals a lot about Nelson and her love of blue. Making the story personal even when it does not seem to be is an achievement of storytelling, in my opinion.

            I found that Nelson’s life, and the way she lives it, are inextricably linked to the book. As I mentioned earlier, the book is deeply personal, and every quote or fact she gives expresses something about her. I got the impression that writing the book was cathartic for her, helping her work out her love of the color blue and the loss of “the prince of blue.” There were other very affecting personal explorations throughout the book. The most powerful for me was Nelson’s paraplegic friend. Nelson writes: “I have seen the bright pith of her soul” (Nelson 89). To me, this was an expression of the beautiful friendship that the two have, one that can clearly withstand any obstacle. Writing about everything she does for her friend, and vice versa, expressed an important element of her character.

            I think that writing this book helped Nelson let go of her love for the blue prince, and move on to working on herself. Nelson expresses her relationship to him perfectly in these lines: “I never meant to give you a talisman…I wrote it because I had something to say to you” (Nelson 71). Her longing for the blue prince is expressed by her love for the color blue. By realizing this connection, she is able to accept her loneliness. The form of the story allows Nelson to explore these and other avenues into understanding herself. Though each proposition could stand on its own, it is only by combining them all that we are able to see a complete picture of who she is.