Shoes make a fitting vehicle for Andover native Patricia Morrisroe’s memoir “9 1/2 Narrow: My Life in Shoes” as it roves 60 years of fashion and family, popular culture and relationships.
It follows her from baby boots to the New Balance sneakers she bought her mother, Eileen, in her old age; from her first shoe crush, Mary Janes, to the high-end Blahniks craved in more recent years.
At each stop, “9 1/2 Narrow” ties a shoe style to the times they were worn and the social and emotional place in Morrisroe’s life. Style, time and place stand together like heel, sole and toe.
Feet grow. Shoe styles change. But what remains most poignant and touching in Morrisroe’s footwear chronicle is the relationship with her mother, Eileen, a larger than life person who died at age 93 in 2014.