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A review by foxclouds
This Is How We Got Here by Keith Barker
5.0
I received a copy of “This is How We Got Here” from Playwrights Canada Press in exchange for a free and honest review. I requested it based on the description and, let’s be honest, the cover.
I was lucky enough, not only to read the copy “This is How We Got Here” but also listen to Keith Barker read excerpts from it at Playwrights Canada Press Fall Launch party and at the readings as part of Native Earth’s Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival in November of 2017. Keith’s voice as he read the dialogues was so perfect and natural for the story, that I kept hearing his voice in my head as I read the play.
Even before starting “This is How We Got Here”, I knew that this play would be a hard one to swallow. The premise of the story is tragic, more so, since Keith Barker had to deal with a similar tragedy in his family and some of the situations were drawn from his own experiences.
This is a story about a close knit family which starts to fall apart as some of them refuse to acknowledge and deal with the loss and others lose themselves in it. “This is How We Got Here” is full of raw and unapologetic dialogues between couples, friends and siblings, as they all try to make sense of what their lives should be. They lash out at each other in the way that only the closest people can - pushing the buttons almost to the point of no return with the words that hurt the most.
The writing in “This is How We Got Here” is so realistic and true to life that anyone can relate to the story regardless of whether they experienced a profound loss or not. You can take any line from the play and I am sure you have either said it yourself or had it said to you. In spite of the grievous theme of the plot, I can see myself reading this play over and over.
The introduction of a fox into the plot was rather surprising as I did not expect it to be relevant at all. It can be viewed as either an aspect of magical realism in the play or just the struggles of an unraveling mind of Lucille. I am a bit torn as I like the both ideas equally, so I’d rather stay in the dark as what was the actual intention of the author.
I don’t know how to recommend “This is How We Got Here” well enough without making it sound as if it is only about grief. Yes, it is the story about grief, and loss, and mental health, and, perhaps, even bullying, and about broken families, and, yes, it will make you cry. But it is also the story about hope and trying to rebuild what is broken. It was very much worth your time.
I am very grateful to Playwrights Canada Press for once again giving me an opportunity to read and review one of their brilliant plays.
Rating: 4.5 stars
I was lucky enough, not only to read the copy “This is How We Got Here” but also listen to Keith Barker read excerpts from it at Playwrights Canada Press Fall Launch party and at the readings as part of Native Earth’s Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival in November of 2017. Keith’s voice as he read the dialogues was so perfect and natural for the story, that I kept hearing his voice in my head as I read the play.
Even before starting “This is How We Got Here”, I knew that this play would be a hard one to swallow. The premise of the story is tragic, more so, since Keith Barker had to deal with a similar tragedy in his family and some of the situations were drawn from his own experiences.
This is a story about a close knit family which starts to fall apart as some of them refuse to acknowledge and deal with the loss and others lose themselves in it. “This is How We Got Here” is full of raw and unapologetic dialogues between couples, friends and siblings, as they all try to make sense of what their lives should be. They lash out at each other in the way that only the closest people can - pushing the buttons almost to the point of no return with the words that hurt the most.
The writing in “This is How We Got Here” is so realistic and true to life that anyone can relate to the story regardless of whether they experienced a profound loss or not. You can take any line from the play and I am sure you have either said it yourself or had it said to you. In spite of the grievous theme of the plot, I can see myself reading this play over and over.
The introduction of a fox into the plot was rather surprising as I did not expect it to be relevant at all. It can be viewed as either an aspect of magical realism in the play or just the struggles of an unraveling mind of Lucille. I am a bit torn as I like the both ideas equally, so I’d rather stay in the dark as what was the actual intention of the author.
I don’t know how to recommend “This is How We Got Here” well enough without making it sound as if it is only about grief. Yes, it is the story about grief, and loss, and mental health, and, perhaps, even bullying, and about broken families, and, yes, it will make you cry. But it is also the story about hope and trying to rebuild what is broken. It was very much worth your time.
I am very grateful to Playwrights Canada Press for once again giving me an opportunity to read and review one of their brilliant plays.
Rating: 4.5 stars