Book review of “All the Time in the World” by John Gierach.
John Gierach’s “All the Time in the World” was published in March of this year, and I finally read it during some of my recent downtime. Here are a few observations and impressions that stuck with me after reading this, John’s latest work of art.
On the surface, John Gierach is an avid fly fisherman, and to oversimplify the situation, he is merely a writer who writes about his passion. But Gierach is also known for his frequent philosophical excursions and cogent observations about life in general, and he deftly fits fishing into the grand scheme of things. This book is no exception.
In typical Gierach fashion, John meanders through loosely connected fishing tales and travels that span North America with his casual, nonchalant tone, and unpretentious narrative. He allows contractions to spill off his keyboard just as they would roll off the tongue in normal conversation. And his unobtrusive sense of humor often catches me off guard. His writing usually evokes a satisfying smile at every turn of the page. Many times, after reading a couple of well-paired sentences, I need to set the book down in order to release a proper chuckle. His prose is sprinkled with mild cynicism and irony, interspersed with philosophical tangents. He ends every chapter with an offhand thought that lifts the corners of your mouth or makes you look up from the page to let it sink in.
John Gierach, the philosopher, cannot avoid an interesting discourse if a topic is remotely related to the narrative. He uses fishing as a backdrop to launch short, tart, philosophical observations about our culture and life in general. His old-timer perspectives gently cut through all the nonsense so prevalent these days. The first Gierach book I read was “Fly Fishing the High Country.” I found this on a shelf in a bookstore when I moved to Lyons, Colorado in 1987. I was expecting a how-to guide, which it was in many ways, but was pleasantly surprised to find some subtle philosophy sprinkled along the way. His subsequent books are less how-to and lean heavily into the zones of storytelling and philosophy.
Gierach has a way of delivering his stories with refreshing humility, tending to focus more on his shortcomings, embarrassments, and insecurities rather than boasting of proud accomplishments. He does not cite gory details of heroic battles scenes with monster fish. Among his tales, he describes the frustrations (and joys) of trying to fish after our 2013 flood and being restricted to local waters during the pandemic. This is by no means a crusty old fisherman rambling on about exaggerated fishing adventures. John is a master with words. His thoughts are very well composed and his sentences well crafted. Like his other books, “All the Time in the World” does not resemble one of those murder mystery page-turners, but rather keeps you wondering what quirky expression, colorful description, or wise insight he will come up with next. The unexpected smiles and chuckles are what I value most when reading Gierach’s fishing adventures (and foibles).
“All the Time in the World” is neither a how-to manual nor a guidebook to secret fishing holes. Gierach does describe many of his favorite haunts, but not enough details to let the reader find them. Based on his descriptions, I think I have fished some of his favorite pools, holes, riffles, and river bends, but his writing has a way of evoking memories that I may or may not have ever experienced. Basically, for those of us who love to fish but have allowed life to encroach, Gierach’s writing provides an enjoyable vicarious substitute.
Even if you are not a fisherman, reading this book, might help you understand someone in your life who has this obsession (or maybe not). If you are a fisherman and for some reason have never read any of John Gierach’s many books, I think it’s about time. Unfortunately, I know many fishermen who do not consider themselves “readers.” If that is one of your “preexisting conditions” (to borrow a snide term used by Gierach), I encourage you to expand your horizons. I can almost guarantee you that you will stay up past your bedtime flipping pages. And although you may not think you have enough time to read, once engrossed in Gierach’s stories, it will certainly seem that you have all the time in the world.
Memoirs and Musings 