Book Review / "From Here to the Great Unknown" by Lisa Marie Presley

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“From Here to the Great Unknown” is a memoir of Lisa Marie Presley, legendary Elvis’s daughter, told by herself and her daughter Riley Keough. Lisa Marie Presley recorded her memories and asked her daughter to help her to write the book. Sadly, she died shortly after making those tapes, leaving the task of sharing her story with the world to her daughter.

I love memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies. I could even say that these are my favourite genres. There is something indescribably poignant in reading about real people's lives. Often, the twists and turns which happened in reality are more unbelievable than the most elaborate fiction.
I don’t always like the person who wrote the memoir or to whom the biography is dedicated. To be honest, even as a teenager, I have never been a true fan of any famous person, be it a singer, actor, or band. As to writers, thanks to our excellent Literature teacher at school, I knew too much about their ‘dirty laundry’ to unconditionally admire any of them.

And still, it is exceedingly rare that I can’t relate to the person I’m reading about at all. Alas, this is what happened when I was reading this book. That’s why I was reluctant to write a review and share my thoughts. I don’t like reviewing books I didn’t enjoy. After all, it is purely subjective, and others might feel differently about the story. Yet, after coming across the review of the book around which there is or was huge hype and chatting with the person who wrote it on Instagram, I decided that I could share my thoughts too.

So, here is my take on Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir.

First, I didn’t like the book. At all. It made me boil with indignation – and I didn’t like feeling this way. I am a sympathetic person who always tries to help and comfort people, but it was just too preposterous to feel any sympathy. I guess I should have rated it with one star, but I don’t think it’s fair. I’ve read the book till the end, and it made me think about things. So, it wasn’t without any value.

Riley Keough wrote at the beginning that her goal for making this book even after her mother passed was to show the world what a wonderful person Lisa Marie Presley was. I think that the main reason for the frustration from my side is that she has failed. What I saw, having read the book, was a shallow person without any depth or substance who, by a whim of fate, was born into wealth.

A lot of people lose their loved ones, have difficult relationships within their families, and fight addictions and trauma. Yet, not all of them have the means to try to remedy the damage. Lisa Marie Presley had everything at her disposal to steer her life into a lighter, healthier path than the one her parents had placed her on. Her famous father, unintentionally, by dying when she was a child. Her mother by her marriages and her husbands’/boyfriends’ attitude to Lisa Marie. Instead, she seemed to have floated through life, avoiding anything that required any effort. Her thoughts about school and education are ridiculous. She said she didn’t care about school, wasn’t interested in anything it could offer, and ignored it. But then she went on declaring that she craved to understand life, what it was all about. I’m not a die-hard fan of traditional education. Any system is rigid by default and cannot be perfect. Even so, anyone who wants to achieve something tangible, significant, like exploring space, finding a cure for a serious illness, etc., must go through the education ladder as it is. There is no way around it. Whether it is good and fair is a different matter altogether.

Having read the book, I was left with the impression that it still depends on a person if they strive to achieve something or not irrespective what start they are given in life. Some pursue their passion even if they were born rich. They use the opportunities to build something worthy, to grow. Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter, is an excellent proof of this theory. She is successful in both her family and professional lives despite having grown up in a dysfunctional environment.

Riley Keough said that it felt like they all had led a charmed existence, what with all the travelling to exotic locations, spending time surrounded by luxury. I wonder if this ‘fairy tale’ wasn’t the reason her mother not simply lost but had never felt a connection with reality. A childhood spent in Elvis’s Graceland, so unlike any place children usually grow in, then changing schools and her mother’s hectic lifestyle – all this could have warped anyone’s mind.

“From Here to the Great Unknown” is not the book I’ve enjoyed reading. Still, it has taught me something and given me some food for thought. I believe it’s not the worst result of an otherwise unsatisfying read.



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From Here to the Great Unknown