A review by alanffm
Jokes and the Unconscious by Daphne Gottlieb

1.0

I did NOT like this book. While it is true that there is a lot going on here -- subtle allusions to Freud's works, explorations of humour, trauma and mental illness ect-- this memoir is far too morbid, a-linear and dragged out to be enjoyable. I commend both Gotlieb and DiMassa on this joint effort, but it really falls flat. I think perhaps what hurts this book the most is that it feels like a cheaper version of Bechdel's Fun Home: A Tragic Comedy. Both books deal with gender dysphoria, mental illness, and patriarchal abuse, but Fun Home is infinitely more developed and not nearly as off-putting. The morbid imagery in Jokes and the Unconscious is really out of place. Disappointing read.