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A review by amalgamemnon
This Really Isn't about You by Jean Hannah Edelstein
4.0
The structure of this book sounds odd when written down - it starts at "Between", which details Edelstein's father's diagnosis, her move to New York and his sudden death. It ends with her subsequent diagnosis with Lynch syndrome, inherited from her father and which increases her risk of cancer. We then go back a decade or so with Edelstein's move to London. From the very intense, intimate time of her father's dying, we move to stories of the challenges of being young and poor in a big city you don't know all that well. But family are still very much present here, with Edelstein considering the challenges of distance and the conflicting motivations for moving away.
I love the writing on relationships, where Edelstein's surety in her sense of self really shines through; it's not a barrage of awkward, cringey moments like these things can tend to be. And the chapters about shitty jobs with abusive managers and colleagues are really well done - they're infuriating to read and must have been difficult to write.
Edelstein talks of there being so many paths open to you at this age, and the paralysing fear of choosing the wrong one. Of course later on, with her father's early passing and her diagnosis, it might feel like her path was set from the start. The slow evolution of coming to terms with this new reality is really well done, mapped out in actions and thought. There's no epiphanies, no sudden Hollywood-esque changes of perspective or realisations, and I admire how Edelstein captures the bumpy and non-linear recovery from loss and tragedy. This is a touching and human exploration of family and identity; a reflection on loss and transition that doesn't strain to deliver profound insight, and is all the better for it.
I love the writing on relationships, where Edelstein's surety in her sense of self really shines through; it's not a barrage of awkward, cringey moments like these things can tend to be. And the chapters about shitty jobs with abusive managers and colleagues are really well done - they're infuriating to read and must have been difficult to write.
Edelstein talks of there being so many paths open to you at this age, and the paralysing fear of choosing the wrong one. Of course later on, with her father's early passing and her diagnosis, it might feel like her path was set from the start. The slow evolution of coming to terms with this new reality is really well done, mapped out in actions and thought. There's no epiphanies, no sudden Hollywood-esque changes of perspective or realisations, and I admire how Edelstein captures the bumpy and non-linear recovery from loss and tragedy. This is a touching and human exploration of family and identity; a reflection on loss and transition that doesn't strain to deliver profound insight, and is all the better for it.