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A review by notartgarfunkel
Meaty by Samantha Irby
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
With Samantha Irby’s new essay collection coming out this year, I’m finally prioritizing her earlier work. Meaty is her first book of essays, published in 2013 and updated in 2018.
As indicated by the title, one connection between these essays is Irby’s lived experience of her body. She discusses sex, chronic illness, race, fatness, mental health, and gender, among other things. There are also accounts of her mother’s illness and death. I really appreciate Irby’s irreverent approach to these hard topics. I laughed a lot, but I was also struck by how much she has had to survive.
Some of these essays were hard for me to read (thanks, OCD!), but I’m glad I did. I can’t wait to get to her later collections and see how her life and writing have changed. She’s a real gem.
As indicated by the title, one connection between these essays is Irby’s lived experience of her body. She discusses sex, chronic illness, race, fatness, mental health, and gender, among other things. There are also accounts of her mother’s illness and death. I really appreciate Irby’s irreverent approach to these hard topics. I laughed a lot, but I was also struck by how much she has had to survive.
Some of these essays were hard for me to read (thanks, OCD!), but I’m glad I did. I can’t wait to get to her later collections and see how her life and writing have changed. She’s a real gem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug abuse