Unveiling Solitude: How Karen Babine’s Memoir Captures the Magnetic Pull of Journeying Alone
Reviewed by Marissa Gallerani
In her mid 30s, childless, and single, Karen Babine decides to take a roadtrip to learn more about her family’s Acadian roots. Her route takes her from her home state of Minnesota, up through Canada, down to Maine, and then back across the Midwest.
Babine’s memoir, The Allure of Elsewhere: A Memoir of Going Solo (Milkweed Editions; May 2025) is a record of that trip and includes her musings on the nature of memory and the stories our families tell.
