Musical Chairs
Jen Knox
Indie Memoir/YA
[rating: 5/5]
Available in…
• Mobi/Kindle
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
Also in paperback
Some time ago, Jen Knox and I swapped memoirs. She sent me a copy of Musical Chairs, which explores her family’s history of mental health diagnoses, her years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement, and her struggle for reconciliation. (That’s from the cover.)
I also sent her a copy of Love through the Eyes of an Idiot. In full disclosure, just as I had started reading her book, Jen sent me an email about mine:
I finally posted my review of your delightful book. Oh how it made me remember how lucky I am to have found Chris after all the relationships (if you can call them that) that came before him. He thanks you. I thank you, for writing a great read.
Truthfully, I’m gratified that Jen enjoyed my book. And I did really want to like hers as well— I always want to like a book from a fellow author, and it upsets me when I don’t. But I will tell you exactly what problems I had with Musical Chairs:
-
I ran across numerous line-editing issues, including misspelled words, bad punctuation (like ending a sentence with a comma, in at least two places), and sentences that made no sense in context. The best typo I found on page 152, where Jen wrote about working at the bookstore: “As I cleared dust from a self in the psychology section…” So, was that an ego or an id? (Ba dum bum.)
-
Some details were missing from spots in the story where I would naturally expect them, popping up as surprises elsewhere. For example, all the time Jen was staying with Miss Sarah and her daughter (in the chapter entitled “Miss Sarah”), I thought Sarah was a white, single mother. It was only much later in the book that I was told that Sarah (or at least her daughter) had darker skin, that she was married to a Latino who had treated Jen rudely, and that she had some pretty bizarre racial ideas.
-
Jen begins with a panic attack, and she concludes as the panic attacks disappear… I think. I have nothing against waxing eloquent, as she did in the epilogue; I’m just not sure how she concluded the story. (But otherwise the epilogue did leave me feeling uplifted and satisfied.)
All of my complaints were counterbalanced, however, by the fact that I literally couldn’t put the damn book down! That’s why I’ve been absent this week. I blew through the entire thing in a little over a day, immersing myself in her story every moment I could. Really, no joke, no exaggeration: I read until I got tired; then I napped, woke up, and continued where I left off; lather, rinse, repeat.
Truthfully, before I started the book, I half expected a melodramatic pity party for a life beset by personal tragedy and self-destruction. On the contrary, Jen drew me into her story, the story of a girl I could hardly believe existed.
At one point, I reclined in a hot bath with Jen’s book in one hand and a cup of Earl Grey in the other. I looked at the cup, a commemorative mug, dated November 20, 1994, for the centennial anniversary of the facility at which my Beloved interned. I suddenly realized that at that very time, Jen had run away from home, 15 years old, and was living with her 19-year-old boyfriend. My Beloved was about to launch her career, and during the same autumn, Jen was about to launch herself into boyfriends and sex and statutory rape and the real thing, erotic dances for money, fights and alcohol and the battle for control and delusions and psychosis and abandonment— But through it all, Jen seemed so… normal to me. I genuinely sympathized with her, felt for her in her quest, desired to reach out to her and provide what I saw she was missing in her life. And I smiled when she finally began to find it.
This is the reason I read independent memoirs, to meet people I might never otherwise know, through them to live experiences I could never otherwise fathom, and to win victories I would never otherwise have even pursued. And Musical Chairs generously filled that need.
-TimK
|
Musical Chairs |
Available in… |
mostbet kg скачать http://1win12046.ru
п»їLately, I needed antibiotics urgently and stumbled upon Antibiotics Express. They let you buy antibiotics without a prescription safely. In case of a toothache, this is the best place. Overnight shipping to USA. Visit here: https://antibioticsexpress.com/#. Good luck.
1win казино регистрация https://1win12046.ru/
п»їRecently, I wanted to buy Doxycycline without waiting and came across this amazing site. It allows you to purchase generics online securely. For treating sinusitis, this is the best place. Discreet packaging available. More info: Antibiotics Express. Get well soon.
В Краснодаре клиника «Детокс» предоставляет услугу вызова нарколога на дом. Специалисты приедут к вам в течение 1–2 часов, проведут осмотр и назначат необходимое лечение. Все процедуры проводятся анонимно и с соблюдением конфиденциальности.
Разобраться лучше – запой нарколог на дом сочи
В Сочи клиника «Детокс» предлагает полный курс вывода из запоя в стационаре. Круглосуточный медицинский контроль гарантирует безопасность и эффективность лечения.
Подробнее – вывод из запоя с выездом в сочи
1 вин взод https://www.1win12047.ru
Hey all! I discovered an awesome online drugstore to buy pills at a discount. This store offers the best prices on Rx drugs. If you want to save, visit here: express pharmacy. Best regards.
QQ88 là nền tảng cá cược trực tuyến uy tín, tích hợp casino, nổ hũ, bắn cá và thể thao với trải nghiệm ổn định. Trải nghiệm giải trí online tại QQ88 với kho game đa dạng, giao diện thân thiện và thao tác nhanh gọn.
Greetings! Check out a great pharmacy online to order medications fast. The site offers huge discounts on all meds. To save money, visit here: http://pharmiexpress.com/#. Hope this helps.
Lately, I wanted to buy scabies treatment for humans and discovered this reliable site. They sell 3mg, 6mg & 12mg tablets no script needed. If you need to treat lice quickly, check this out: https://ivermectinexpress.xyz/#. Safe and secure
Greate article. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog. Im really impressed by your blog.
1 вин ракетка https://1win12046.ru
Hey there! Just wanted to share a great site if you need prescriptions fast. Pharmiexpress provides the best prices on Rx drugs. To save money, highly recommended: https://pharmiexpress.xyz/#. Hope this helps.
как использовать бонусный счет на 1win https://1win12047.ru
Hi! I found a great resource if you need pills fast. Pharmiexpress provides express shipping on health products. For fast service, highly recommended: https://pharmiexpress.com/#. Best regards.
lucky jet краш lucky jet краш
лаки джет ссылка на iphone http://www.1win12046.ru
Экстренная помощь при запое в Нижнем Новгороде — капельница на дому от опытных врачей-наркологов.
Получить дополнительные сведения – наркология вывод из запоя