I had the opportunity to hear Norm Diamond speak at an open house about a year ago at PDNB gallery. (Photos Do Not Bend). I enjoyed his photos and his talk.
I didn’t wake up thinking I needed a book much less that I needed to write a book review. But Norm’s book was calling to me and once I read it I had to share with others.
Hauntingly relatable, you can almost smell the mothballs and mustiness as you flip through the pages of photos that reveal the estate sales Norm Diamond visited. You are easily transported to these places – they harken back to your aunt’s house, your great grandma’s apartment with a pothos plant growing across the wall of the living room. You can imagine the more than gently worn favorite recliner that is surrendered to the guest on a Sunday afternoon. Or as the photo below shows, a toilet and a yarn “God bless our pad.” wall hanging.
It is sadness. Stillness. The only sound is that of an analog clock ticking. Time outside this place marches on – seemingly at a faster pace. There are places to go. TikTok videos and FB reels to make.
But if we put our smartphone appendage aside and spend time with this book: we are reminded of our own mortality.
The book takes us on a journey miles away… or decades ago – or whatever measurement you choose to use—when you visited elders when you were a child. Yet it also portends our future. And all the toys, trinkets, items of value… our accomplishments – wrinkle, fade and are forgotten.
This book by Norm Diamond is wonderful. Purchase it wherever books are sold. Be sure to grab a Kleenex and put your smartphone on mute.
As for me – it also proves I’m in great company! I’m not the only one who visits estate sales with mortality in mind as I look at the “abandoned” artifacts. I usually snap photos of precious items and have to pull myself away from personal effects that I am drawn to but genuinely don’t need (someone’s marriage certificate from the 1940s.)
For interest, I staged the book against a background of random ephemera and objects people have gifted me or I have purchased. All. Wonderful. Treasures. And if you have a 1940s marriage certificate you no longer need… you know where to find me. 😉
Update!
Be sure to visit the following two links from the New Yorker. The authors used some of Norm Diamond’s photos!
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-and-off-the-avenue/the-wild-wonderful-world-of-estate-sales
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