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BOOK - Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
Jenny Lawson

DIANA CARROLL - Reviewer
INDAILY - 13.12.12

Still looking for Christmas gift inspiration? Indaily's reviewers share some of their favourite books of the past year.

I love this book!

Jenny Lawson writes about real life in a way that makes it sad, pathetic and hilarious all at once. It is, as the subtitle says, based on the author's life but where fact ends and fiction begins, nobody knows. Not that it matters, because the book is so well-written. The result is a series of vignettes that each reads as a stand-alone short story, held together by themes of family and relationships.

Lawson casually tosses words together in a way that cleverly masks her mastery of the writer's craft. How can you resist a chapter entitled "A series of helpful post-it notes I left around the house for my husband this week", followed by "And then I got stabbed in the face by a serial killer" – it's good enough to make you go out wearing a "stab me" T-shirt!

Lawson can get down and dirty, so don't buy this for Gran or the vicar, but do buy it for anyone who appreciates roller-coaster writing that is witty, perceptive and very funny. Or buy it for yourself and chuckle through the boring bits of Christmas at home.

ENDS.