Let’s Pretend This Never Happened literally made me lol. Laugh. Out. Loud. I would laugh, and my dad would look at me wondering what was so funny and I would not say a word and continue reading. It’s totally worth it.

Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess, has written a memoir that is spastic, in a good way. As I found myself trying to explain what I was reading to the lady sitting next to me at the nail salon I said, “She’s a blogger, and it’s all about her childhood, and it’s hilarious, but kind of twisted, but still really funny. I like it.” I’m not sure what that says about me, but I will say this: read the book if you want to be entertained and are not scared of slightly strange things.

She herself says in the book, “I am so f***ing going to win a Pulitzer for this.”

Highlights include:

-A squirrel hand puppet made and worn by her taxidermist father

-A group of turkeys following her to school and subsequently pooping all over the place

- An entire chapter that is an argument with her husband, which is written entirely in Post-It notes

- Recounts of the mortifying things seen as HR for a religious-based organization (hint: you still see men emailing pictures of their genitals).

- A chapter that should be sad because it involves miscarriages but is actually kind of gross because it ends up being more about vaginas.

Throughout the book we discover that Lawson has always felt she was mentally unstable, or flat out crazy, and take that journey with her. Anxiety is equated with being shy, extremely shy. Depression is a part of her life she shares with readers in the midst of the laughs.

You couldn’t make most of this up. Lawson admits that everything might not be 100% true, but she also says that the most ridiculous, unbelievable moments are the ones that probably ARE true.

The whole thing is written as if she is just having a conversation. The reader is addressed frequently, and the editor is blamed for doing her job. Keeping Lawson on track seems like it would be a rather difficult job.

The most important thing (especially for college seniors who are 21 days, 3 hours, and 19 minutes away from graduation) is that it is an easy read. The chapters are short and manageable and the writing is light, even though the subject matter is sometimes more serious than Lawson makes it.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Books

Ups and downs – I give Let’s Pretend This Never Happened two thumbs up.