Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir in Our Shared Shelf

Aug 20, 2012 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

Confession time: I don't read The Bloggess. I read this book because it was recommended to me.

Confession time the second: I don't enjoy books that are written by bloggers. I've been burned before (I'm looking at you Sloane Crosley). The reason I don't enjoy them is that they are often billed as memoirs when really it's just blog material pressed into a spine. It all feels disjointed and like a school admission portfolio. "These are my best writings!" I don't know WHY it bothers me, it just does Confession time: I don't read The Bloggess. I read this book because it was recommended to me.

Confession time the second: I don't enjoy books that are written by bloggers. I've been burned before (I'm looking at you Sloane Crosley). The reason I don't enjoy them is that they are often billed as memoirs when really it's just blog material pressed into a spine. It all feels disjointed and like a school admission portfolio. "These are my best writings!" I don't know WHY it bothers me, it just does.

I also dislike the trend of proclaiming bloggers as THE NEXT SOMEBODY. Often times it's David Sedaris. No one will ever be the next David Sedaris because HE'S DAVID SEDARIS AND THIS PERSON IS NOT. Why not let the writing stand on its own? Because more often than not, you have someone bitching about how [insert wank face], "Ugh! This said Lawson was the next David Sedaris and EW, GROSS, THAT'S AN INSULT." Okay. Shut up. JUST SHUT THE SHUT UP!

In a way, Let's Pretend this Never Happened fits the bill of half memoir, half blogger essays. It begins as a sequential tale about Lawson's childhood in an extremely unconventional setting and then in the second half of the book it morphs into what feels like blog posts. The sequence is gone, the time table includes phrases such as "Today I..." and "Yesterday..." so it threw me off. However, it is acceptable because Lawson is still regaling us with tales from her still unconventional life and at this point she is pretty well established as a blogger so I guess it is true to form. She is also wildly entertaining while doing it.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. Lawson has her own voice, and that voice is both identifiable and insane. Her voice is also that of a rambling, stream of conscious which I will admit is not for everyone. There were moments during a chapter in which I found myself wishing Lawson would get to the point instead of digressing into a tangent, but that is, at the essence, what makes the book a romping good time.

As mentioned, the first half of the book takes us through her childhood and teenage years. It follows a time table, and once she gets married... I... I don't know. The chapters are all over the place, without much rhyme or reason for where they are located. But again, I caution the reader that this is okay, because at this point, Lawson's daily life is pretty radical and insane in the best of ways. In fact, the best way to read the latter half of the book is to abandon any rhyme or reason at all. It's just like a friend telling you a story about what happened last Tuesday. ...more

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Jan 15, 2015 Tea rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biography-memoir

Oh my god, this book.

I laughed until I cried. And then I went into the other room and said to my girlfriend, "Look at me! I'm crying with laughter over this book!" She did not seem to care that much -- but it takes a lot to make me laugh and/or cry, so whatever, I was impressed!

I love Jenny Lawson and want her to be my friend. Except that we both have social anxiety and are super awkward, so it would probably be the weirdest friendship ever -- but that's ok.

The only thing that kept me from giv ...more

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