A review by renatasnacks
Dora: A Headcase by Lidia Yuknavitch

4.0

How I first heard of Lidia Yuknavitch was that before Dear Sugar was revealed to be Cheryl Strayed, a lot of people were speculating that Lidia Y was Dear Sugar? She's not, but I figured if she's good enough for people to think she might be Dear Sugar, she's probably pretty good.

Anyway, I haven't read any of Yuknavitch's short stories but I can still see why people would link her with Sugar, because she defintely writes with the same kind of intense compassion and insight that Sugar has. But more profanely.

Something I've been turning over in my head is this cover blurb: "it’s like a smart, fast chick Fight Club". IS IT though? Is that a compliment?? Why is that on the cover of this book?? I mean don't get me wrong, I thought Fight Club was pretty mind-blowing in high school, but. I guess the rawness of it is reminiscent, and the cultural commentary? But this feels fresher to me and more progressive. Oh no it's because Fight Club is old? And because I'm old? Ahhh maybe I need to re-read Fight Club/reflect upon my own mortalityyyy

but also because this book has a diverse range of gender presentations, sexual orientations, and races present, and Fight Club did... not.

Uh but like Fight Club, this also seems like it would have a lot of teen appeal but teens gotta find that stuff on their own because you will straight-up get fired if you give this to a teen and their parents find out.

Also I knew that this was a retelling of one of Freud's case studies or something but I didn't realize until the end notes that all of Sig's lines were actually quotes from Freud?? I kind of want to go back and re-read it now that I know that. Why don't they put that on the cover and get rid of that Fight Club thing.