Meredith Hall's memoir 'Without Map or Compass' recounts a journey through childhood grief

Meredith Hall's memoir, "Without Map or Compass," delves into a childhood marked by both love and profound hardship in rural New Hampshire. Published in 2020, Hall's earlier novel "Bigger Than the World" explored a family coping with grief. This new work, however, translates her 2007 memoir, offering a stark look at her teenage years.

Hall describes a seemingly idyllic upbringing in a religious, close-knit community where appearances were paramount. Yet, at 16 in 1965, she became pregnant. This situation was deemed inconceivable by her family, school, and church, leading to her expulsion from high school and her mother's rejection. She was sent to live with her often-absent father and stepmother.

For nine months, Hall lived in hiding, feeling like an outcast. She reflects on the isolating nature of such banishment, stating, "One of the functions of ostracism is to totally eradicate the person who suffers it. It is akin to murder, all the more disturbing because there is no grave." The trauma continued when, upon giving birth, her baby was immediately put up for adoption without her input.

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One of the functions of ostracism is to totally eradicate the person who suffers it. It is akin to murder, all the more disturbing because there is no grave.