Just as a physical artist uses negative space to simplify comprehension, Salim pours his prose into a compact vessel, where what isn't said enhances what is. Profound poetic brevity sparks questions not on the pages. Does physical agony enhance poetic beauty? Does hardship break you or make you? Is passion more important than education? Is the seductive falsity of advertising worth the price of your youth? Is solitude more valuable than marriage?

In the autumn of his life, Pakistani-born Salim weds communication skills from an extraordinary career in advertising with a love of books, art, and women. Short, numbered paragraphs and photos extract a memorable life, from the womb to a brutal stoke that leaves Salim crippled on his dominant side. As he cradles an iPad with his left hand and thumbs out his life, concise snippets begin to speak volumes. "Expression #1" covers reincarnation. In "#7," he is a child "lost in this land of magic, going insane with curiosity and bewilderment," where fireflies are a "starry heaven come down to say hello." Each subsequent expression ropes in the reader. First love is "cotton candy" for the soul. Art is the paint you "apply around your thoughts," while alcoholism is "the indescribable salve of light intoxication." A career in advertising rendered him an "escapist," running against himself until his illness-bred introspection saved him.

Life can be over in an instant. Most autobiographies stretch for hours. Honed by physical injury and the death of his family, Salim honors the brevity of life through a concise memoir, overflowing with maximum impact. His poetic expressions are worth reading more than once.

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