The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It resists finishing, and partly this is because words are not enough; my early world was synaesthesic, and I am haunted by the ghosts of my own sense impressions, which re-emerge when I try to write, and shiver between the lines.
In her book "Giving Up the Ghost," Hilary Mantel reflects on her childhood as an ongoing narrative that feels unfinished. She emphasizes the complexity of her early experiences, which are difficult to fully articulate. The challenge lies in the richness of her sensory impressions, which often elude precise expression through words.
Recordings of her past continue to affect her, as memories associated with sound, taste, and sight intertwine to create an indelible impression. Mantel's struggle to convey her childhood story highlights the limitations of language, revealing how deeply personal experiences can haunt and inform one's writing process.
