I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have a childhood that was not like mine. I have no real frame of reference, but when I question strangers I've found that their childhood generally had much less blood in it, and also that strangers seem uncomfortable when you question them about their childhood. But really, what else are you going to talk about in line at the liquor store? Childhood trauma seems like the natural choice, since it's the reason why most of us are in line there to begin with.
The book started with her childhood, where we learn her dad was into dead animals - he's a taxidermist of sorts - and a lot of the anecdotes she recalls were hilarious. I read this book at work during my breaks and had to be careful to not laugh out loud hysterically for a lot of it, because parts are hilarious.
The book follows her throughout where she is now, married for fifteen years with a daughter, and living life in Texas.
Like I said, parts of this book were hilarious and I could.not.stop.reading. However, as time wore on, it became that I kind of just wanted to finish the book - nuggets here and there were still funny, but it became similar to spending too much time with a crazy relative; aka, time to move on and hit the road (or, in this case, finish the book).
3.5 stars out of 5.
*Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this review for the BlogHer Book Club. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.
Because I enjoy her blog, I really wanted to like the book more than I did. 3.5 would be generous rating for me. I disliked more than I liked while reading it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I was laughing out loud at a LOT of parts (and I was reading it during work breaks so that was a little awkward, ha) but then it became less funny as time wore on.
DeleteI just finished reading this book and I, too, could not stop laughing. I have a 2yo so my time isn't always my own...so some stolen moments in the bathroom or in the closet or under the bed allowed me to finally finish. But when I did finish, I wanted to know more - if you can believe it. She's a very funny writer. Dysfunctional? Maybe. But I was totally digging her :)
ReplyDeleteShe's definitely funny but I enjoy her blog posts more than I enjoyed this book, I think.
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