LIZ: BOOK #44

Dear Diary By Lesley Arfin

288 pages

Completed 12/23/10

Vice contributor Lesley Arfin revisits her diary, tracking her downward spiral from pre-adolescent self-esteem-less girl to heroin-addicted twenty-something, this book's concept intrigued me. Arfin tracks down and interviews the subjects of her entries. This seemed to be the perfect book for me, a lover of addiction/recovery memoirs, a diary format, a tell-all. However, I was pretty disappointed.

Not as scandalous or gut-wrenching as I had imagined, and at times, annoying. The woe-is-me entries from most of her adolescence were exhausting, and when re-connections from her past didn't pan out, I felt myself not even remotely interested. Most memoirs, on the other hand, have me looking up the author online when I am finished reading, wanting to know more. This one, disappointingly, didn't pique any interest at all.

I suppose I thought I would find this memoir juicier, funnier, and more relatable. Instead, I found myself relieved when it was over. I would have been more interested if I picked up a random diary and suffered through it.

LIZ: Book #2

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

213 pages

Completed 1/2/10

Being sick and stuck at home for almost a week now, I have been flying through books, and this was no exception; this was an incredibly quick read. I literally finished this diary-like novel in 3 hours. Revolving around socially awkward high school freshman Charlie in the 90s, these entries are being written to an unknown receiver and focus on his happiness, struggles, and confusion about coming into his own.

I am a memoir lover, so I am surprised that I have so many fiction books waiting for me on my bookshelf. This book, however, read much more like a memoir. Coming of age is hard for any teenager, let alone one who is dealing with loss, depression, and the ups and downs of making new friends. When Charlie started forging bonds with upperclassmen, I was reminded of one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous. His love of music, tendency to question the outside world, and inner conflicts, the comparison was only reinforced for me with Charlie's announcement one night that he "feels infinite."

This book is definitely more suited to a young adult audience, but considering it has been on my books-to-read list for a few years now, I just had to get to it. I felt more could be provided in the ending; what is presented as a sort of epilogue left me with more questions than closure to the story. But, if you are stuck at home sick (like me!), this is a good quick read.