Dates. Memories. Snippets of time. That’s how this memoir by Roberge starts out.
Likely due to the (possible) memory-eroding disease, Roberge jumps from one memory to the next in a way that makes it difficult to pinpoint the timeline of the story. In one memory, you are in 2009 – in the next, you are in 1912.
The jumps in memory read naturally, like they would play out in your head. Events occur, but they are so randomly organized that there doesn’t seem to be much – if any – connection.
While at first the random un-story-like telling is refreshing, it gets annoying after the first hundred or so pages. After awhile, it makes more sense to read the book like individual stories rather than a cohesive whole.
The Roberge Approach
Typically, memoirs use a first person approach – but not this one. Roberge uses second person. You are the story. You are living Roberge’s life.
Obsessed with death, including his own suicide, Roberge writes at the end of the book:
“This is what the world will sound like without you.”
That quote will likely resonate with me for ages.
Overall
This was a good book, very interesting. It’s definitely a look through Roberge’s eyes, and a very enjoyable memoir. It helps you understand the author’s perspective, which makes it a successful memoir in my opinion.
If you read and enjoyed Liar, I would recommend The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Dealing with the intense subject of PTSD and a father battling the demons collected at war, it is a dark, heavy read – but very good.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] you enjoyed How to Weep in Public and are looking for another read, I’d recommend Liar by Rob Roberge. Funny (in a dark sort of way) and just as brutally honest as How to Weep in Public, Liar deals […]