Welcome to Litsy!

This oddly charming autofictional novel spoke to as the daughter of a disabled woman. McCracken claims not to have written a memoir, but many say it‘s darn close.

The narrator‘s mother died recently, so she has taken a brief trip to London and reflects on parts of their relationship as she walks the city. Like my mother, hers was a force despite her disability. She reflects on her illnesses, life before children, and her father‘s hoarding.

First off, is this a novel or a memoir? The answer is, yes. An author whose parents would not want a memoir written about them, so insert fictional character(s), and problem solved. I love the way Elizabeth McCracken writes. She is irreverent, hilarious, detailed, descriptive, warm, aloof, and the last lines undid me. This is a must read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The author spends time discussing whether this is a novel or a memoir. The book is about her mother who had recently passed away. Her mother is so proud and so strong, despite so many physical challenges, and this book is a lovely & compassionate homage to her. Her parents are well known in their community & I think the author was concerned that in sharing some details it would embarrass her mother. Thus the need for the novel/memoir concept.

Between hockey periods I‘m checking in on this short book in which the author offers stories of her parents, particularly her mother, both of whom have passed away. I grabbed the book because I thought I had enjoyed a previous book of McCracken‘s but now that I look at her titles none of them sound remotely familiar. Yet I would have bet a bundle that I had enjoyed her writing in the past. I‘m confused. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This short book is about a middle-aged woman grieving the loss of her mother.

Had I read it in print, I would have highlighted many quotes. As I was listening last night, I paused the audio and jotted this down:

"All this history going on without my mother in it."

How many times I have stopped in my own life and had that very thought!

I thought this was a lovely, straightforward tribute to a woman who would have been uncomfortable with it.

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The memoir that isn‘t was disappointing. As much as I love this author I took on faith she could pull it off. But this just reads like a journal for a grief seminar.

August 2019: the summer before the world stopped.

Initially I enjoyed the portrait of her mother & her mother‘s attitude towards life, despite gradually losing her stamina & ability to walk unaided. Some of the author‘s descriptions during her walks around London caught my interest as I have no experience of that city but its airport! But I lost interest quickly, bailed, & returned it to the library.

So Elizabeth McCracken insists this book is fiction but…
this memoir, not a memoir, but really IS a memoir, left me unmoved. The writing was really good and the right elements were all there yet, the story of a daughter mourning the passing of her mother didn‘t leave any kind of impression. Meh ? Note to EM: "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."? ? #JustSayin

#weeklyforecast
2 independent books, a memoir & a book of poems. The other 4 are buddy reads: #literarycrew #historicalfiction ; #sundaybuddyread #nonfiction; #pemberlittens #chapteraday #readalong; #janeandthexcellentreadalong

Starting this today and probably finishing it. It feels like a one day type read.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧's 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 is a hilarious, heartbreaking, & richly relatable homage from a bereaved daughter to her deceased mother. With vivid prose, the parents come back to life as the narrator details lives well-lived, with flaws & foibles, showing her mother is the hero of her book ... & life. Thanks to Ecco Books & Bibliolifestyle for a copy. Available now.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️