 Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane, by Lindy West.
This is Lindy West's most vulnerable, confessional memoir. She describes struggling with anxiety, a troubled marriage, and the everyday dismissal and disrespect that she gets as a fat woman. For too long, she tried to cope by being a perfect people-pleaser. West and her husband Aham reconciled after a breakup, but with a caveat: he made clear that he could not commit to monogamy. West decided she could accept this "in theory," but then tried to be such a perfect wife that he would feel wrong about acting on it. But Aham started seeing a girlfriend, and West was questioning every decision she'd ever made about her life. She dealt with her midlife crisis by renting a van for a month-long solo drive from Washington State to Florida and back. Along the way, she found assorted adventures in camping, a hazardous snorkeling trip, visits with friends, and discoveries about the country. She'd planned to go to Kokomo because of the song, but it turned out there was no place called Kokomo in Florida. While driving home through Indiana, she was startled to find a town called Kokomo. Unfortunately, it was famous for exactly two things: it once hosted the country's largest Klan rally, and it was the the place where Ryan White's family was relentlessly harassed in the 1980s. Throughout her trip, West received sunny and eager-to-please messages from Aham's girlfriend, Roya. When Aham suffered a brief medical crisis, they agreed that Roya would stay with him while West continued her trip. By the time she returned, West had decided to become part of a "throuple" with Aham and Roya. West acknowledges that it's a bit convenient that the "true self" she discovered just happened to be what Aham wanted all along. West uses adult braces as a metaphor: like teeth, she'd thought some things in her life were immovable. It turned out they could be changed. She admits that her previous books painted an overly rosy picture of her marriage and career, and I can't help wondering what she'll say in the future about this book. West makes this same observation, but says for now at least, she's happy with her life. Popsugar Reading Challenge: An overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight. Booklist Queen Challenge: Published in 2026. Around the Year Challenge: About a road trip or long journey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |