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A review by readingissosexy
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers: A Memoir by Jenn Shapland
2.0
Happy Pride!
I selected this book at random in a NYC bookstore (i love doing that) & read it on vacation through Germany & Austria. Now, the book is done & only 2 days remain of my #eurosummer. rip.
As for my review... 2.5 stars. I appreciated 3 things greatly:
1. The idea of telling your story through the story of another. I hadn't seen that done before. Perfect. We're all connected & i believe that.
2. Shepland's obsession. It was a bit much at times, but also I can relate to long hours spent down the rabbit holes of strangers, the sudden NEED to know things I'll never know. I too read between the lines & draw conclusions that satisfy my brain & make it make sense. (I once dedicated hours to an investigation of a random advertising mogul's divorce. I found his ex's 2011 blog, I scrolled all the way to the bottom of his instagram, I concocted theories.) I get it. What I chase on social media, Shapland chased in literary archives.
3. (This is niche but...) I feel satisfied when things connect. When reading, this usually means that something I've read in a previous book comes to play in my current one. It's satisfactory. It's a reminder that we all inhibit the same world. It happened 3 times here: McCullers lived in Feb. House which I just read about in "When Brooklyn was Queer", then Shepland quotes Maggie Nelson, another recently read author, AND THEN against all odds Shepland referenced "Edie"... the obscure 1982 biography I literally just finished.
Moments like that make a book feel like fate, like maybe all other books paved my way to this one.
(Not me writing an entire book report lmao, almost done)
I did find the read a bit intense overall. To be fair, it's basically "outing" a dead woman. At times I felt Shepland reached a bit far, desperate to find queerness in every small detail of McCullers's life, leaving on no space for mystery or nuance. But Shepland admits to this, so that's chill.
In conclusion: This book as a telling of Shepland's personal story and experiences? Awesome. As a telling of McCullers's story and experiences? Possibly awesome as well, I only wish McCullers could tell us.
I selected this book at random in a NYC bookstore (i love doing that) & read it on vacation through Germany & Austria. Now, the book is done & only 2 days remain of my #eurosummer. rip.
As for my review... 2.5 stars. I appreciated 3 things greatly:
1. The idea of telling your story through the story of another. I hadn't seen that done before. Perfect. We're all connected & i believe that.
2. Shepland's obsession. It was a bit much at times, but also I can relate to long hours spent down the rabbit holes of strangers, the sudden NEED to know things I'll never know. I too read between the lines & draw conclusions that satisfy my brain & make it make sense. (I once dedicated hours to an investigation of a random advertising mogul's divorce. I found his ex's 2011 blog, I scrolled all the way to the bottom of his instagram, I concocted theories.) I get it. What I chase on social media, Shapland chased in literary archives.
3. (This is niche but...) I feel satisfied when things connect. When reading, this usually means that something I've read in a previous book comes to play in my current one. It's satisfactory. It's a reminder that we all inhibit the same world. It happened 3 times here: McCullers lived in Feb. House which I just read about in "When Brooklyn was Queer", then Shepland quotes Maggie Nelson, another recently read author, AND THEN against all odds Shepland referenced "Edie"... the obscure 1982 biography I literally just finished.
Moments like that make a book feel like fate, like maybe all other books paved my way to this one.
(Not me writing an entire book report lmao, almost done)
I did find the read a bit intense overall. To be fair, it's basically "outing" a dead woman. At times I felt Shepland reached a bit far, desperate to find queerness in every small detail of McCullers's life, leaving on no space for mystery or nuance. But Shepland admits to this, so that's chill.
In conclusion: This book as a telling of Shepland's personal story and experiences? Awesome. As a telling of McCullers's story and experiences? Possibly awesome as well, I only wish McCullers could tell us.