Talk Back

[Bea]

So, the moral of this story is that I met the one person with a more messed up childhood than I had. Or the moral of the story is that sometimes a person with a messed up childhood develops a wonderfully wicked sense of humor that can be used to keep ones sanity as well as entertain others. Or there is no moral.

Augsten's imediate family espouses a drunked Math proffesor for a father, a crazy would be poet for a mother and a brother who has undiagnosed Asberger's syndrome. At 12 Augsten's mother puts him in the care of her pyschiatrist and his family. They become his adoptive family throughout his teen years. They may be even more crazy than his "real family." (Not to mention the various mental patients that live in the house with the family.)

Augusten somehow lives through it all and becomes a really good writer. The reviews on the back of the book compaired him with David Sedaris and I can see the similarities, but I enjoyed Burroughs handling of it much more. I'm not sure why that is but it is. I found that Burroughs read more naturally - it seemed less forced. Also Augusten and his step sister Natilie seemed to be the most wonderfully natural comic duo I've read in ages. Both of them being able to take turns being the "straight man" with ease.

I read this during the course of an evening and an afternoon and I got a good night's rest in between. I enjoyed myself alot while reading it. At some points even literally laughing out loud (that expression has become so trite, but I find myself at a loss to describe the action any other way). It's a fun read if you have a wicked and twisted sense of humor.
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I was born to speak all mirth and no matter.