A review by mackenzierm
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

challenging dark emotional sad

2.5

FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING is Matthew Perry’s memoir, sharing his story from childhood to fame to addiction and recovery. 

 

This is the first nonfiction book I’ve read in a long time and I think it’s likely the first memoir I’ve ever read. I decided I wanted to branch out and give a new-to-me genre a try. I loved Matthew Perry in Friends most notably and thought it would be interesting to learn more about his personal story. All of this said, I don’t think memoirs are for me… at least not for now.  I also want to apologize in advance if this review comes off as judgmental, its not my intention and I’ve been grappling very hard with how to write this review as kind and  compassionately as possible, while still being honest about my thoughts. 

 

FRIENDS, LOVERS, AND THE BIG TERRIBLE THING is a very eye-opening account of Matthew Perry’s struggles through mental health and addiction amidst fame and fortune. These all add up to a very difficult and isolating existence. 

 

I think what I struggled most with was the real and raw representation and depiction of Matthew’s experiences and how his experiences affected his outlook. It also altered my outlook on him as a person, because it really separated my knowledge of him as Chandler Bing versus his true self, behind the actor. I found it hard to listen to the audiobook when much of the overarching themes felt like a shift of blame on to others rather than his learning of how to take responsibility for his own actions. 

 

Mental health and addiction are two very difficult things to experience, and I love that Matthew felt he could share his story; share the real, raw, gritty, and honest depictions of his life experiences. It’s truly a vulnerable piece of him. 

 

His memoir is well-written, with an excellent audiobook narration done in his own voice.