Excavation A Memoir
Excavation: A Memoir by Wendy C. Ortiz, published by Future Tense Books in 2014, is a literary nonfiction work that delves into the complexities of a young girl’s life in the San Fernando Valley during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ortiz, an only child raised by alcoholic parents, navigates a tumultuous relationship with a private school teacher who is significantly older. This memoir explores the impact of their connection, which was marked by both encouragement for her writing and the weight of a dangerous sexual relationship, ultimately shaping her future interactions and sense of self.
In Excavation, readers will find a nuanced examination of personal memoir intertwined with themes of family, relationships, and abuse. Ortiz reflects on her past and the lasting effects of her experiences, moving beyond the simplistic victim/perpetrator narrative to reveal the complexities of her identity. The book presents a thoughtful exploration of reclaiming one’s heart and voice, as the present-day narrator confronts her history and the influences that have shaped her life. With 235 pages, this edition invites readers to engage with the intricacies of memory and personal growth.
Official synopsis Publisher
Literary Nonfiction. Memoir. Wendy C. Ortiz was an only child and a bookish, insecure girl living with alcoholic parents in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her relationship with a charming and deeply flawed private school teacher fifteen years her senior appeared to give her the kind of power teenagers wish for, regardless of consequences. Her teacher—now a registered sex offender—continually encouraged her passion for writing while making her promise she was not leaving any written record about their dangerous sexual relationship. This conflicted relationship with her teacher may have been just five years long, but would imprint itself on her and her later relationships, queer and straight, for the rest of her life. In EXCAVATION: A MEMOIR, the black and white of the standard victim/perpetrator stereotype gives way to unsettling grays. The present- day narrator reflects on the girl she once was, as well as the teacher and parent she has become. It’s a beautifully written and powerful story of a woman reclaiming her whole heart.
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