A review by lubellwoo
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee

5.0

I first encountered Chee's work as an essayist in [b: Scratch|20257114|Scratch|Rhonda Helms|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391710876s/20257114.jpg|28068926], [a: Manjula Martin|15061370|Manjula Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469360800p2/15061370.jpg]'s incredible collection of writers talking about money. When I learned he had a whole book of nonfiction coming out, I couldn't wait. Reading these pieces was such an intimate, powerful reminder of so many things—the closeness of death, the power of story, the need to keep going. I read the whole thing cover to cover on a long flight, but will doubtless crack it open again before the week is out. These pieces are each so distinct, and yet, side by side, they show us how Chee returns to similar themes from different angles. It feels like the closest one can come to seeing how another person thinks. He paints such a clear portrait of writing, teaching, and living—and how the three inform one another. I have yet to read another volume that speaks so truthfully to the experience of being a creator and straddling the line between performance and authenticity all at the same time.