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from Breakwater Books

In my opinion, a good memoir shows the reader the perfect amount of a person’s life. It doesn’t overshare and it doesn’t skimp on the important details. It should feel like a conversation, in that you and the writer are just sitting down, having a coffee and you’re listening to them talk.

This is exactly what Newfoundland and Labrador broadcaster Karl Wells does in Openly Karl: A Memoir. The story traces Wells’ life, from his early childhood in Buchans to growing up in St. John’s, his family, early romantic relationships and self-discovery, and slow integration into the world of broadcasting with the CBC and ends with his marriage and retirement. It also showcases someone who, while on air appeared composed and put together, had to deal with personal anxieties, along with the fear, prejudice and misunderstandings that came from being a gay man at a time when it wasn’t as accepted or legal. And dealing with some of those same issues during the AIDS crisis.

Wells expertly weaves personal stories and anecdotes in with his broadcasting career and how, together, both factions of his world made him who he is. At times, some of the stories seem a bit long-winded, but, then again, that’s how conversations can go. Wells always gets you back on track though.

Those from outside the province might not get some of the Newfoundland-specific historic references, media personalities and cultural touchstones. For me, being from Nova Scotia, I had to make notes of events or people to look up later, so I could fully understand the story better.

That doesn’t take away from the story entirely though, and Openly Karl is worth a read, whether you’re a Newfoundlander, someone who just likes memoirs or you want to know more about journalism history, of which Karl Wells is. ■

KATIE INGRAM is a freelance writer, journalism instructor and author of Breaking Disaster: Newspaper Stories of the Halifax Explosion. She lives in Halifax.