Ryan ChartrandI suppose it was the cover that first caught my eye in Barnes & Noble: hot pink bubble letters scrawling out the words, “Dear Diary,” hovering above the head of a clearly downtrodden girl nursing a bloody nose amongst the seemingly tame books surrounding it. Kind of gross, kind of entrancing; I couldn’t steer away from the pitiful sight and found myself enthralled after scanning the first few pages. A diary about a girl? Who doesn’t want to read someone else’s diary?
Come on, you know you’ve probably been tempted before, and if you did not act on the opportunity, here is your reward. A detailed chronicle of the life of “Vice” columnist, Lesley Arfin, spanning entries dated from age 11 to age 25. She notes in the preface that, “This book is my whole life, and give or take a few ridiculous circumstances, it’s yours too,” and after reading it, I can agree.
We all go through those moments that shape us: break-ups, bad decisions, good decisions, life-changing moments, dull un- life changing moments. They are all there, the only difference between hers and the rest of ours, is that she has written them all down and luckily for us, she has written them hilariously.
Oh the pain of adolescence. We can all relate can’t we? The bad hair, the bad skin, the abundant awkward moments; well, I now know that I was not the only one who suffered, and it may be safe to say that Arfin had it a tad worse (maybe).
The book opens with an entry from when she was 11-years-old and in 6th grade. The actual diary part of it is pretty typical, but what makes this book so entertaining, is that for every entry, Arfin adds what she calls an, “UPDATE,” in which she (as her present self) analyzes her words and feelings and occasionally includes interviews with the subject of the entries. (These are highly entertaining by the way, and Arfin’s bluntness is amazing.) Throughout her junior high years, she encapsulates all of the catastrophic memories that I’m sure everyone has felt or witnessed at least once. The drama that we look back on and laugh about now, is a fresh wound in Arfin’s writing, and the pre-pubescent voice that speaks of the perils of fitting in, liking boys and getting “to first with Nate behind the diner,” is believable, funny and all around wonderful. I swear the way she words things is priceless.
As the book progresses, it actually becomes evident that Arfin’s memoir is one of addiction. As she goes through the many phases of high school, for her including the “punk rock girl” days, and the “raver girl” days, seemingly innocent introductions of alcohol and marijuana segues into college where she becomes consumed by an all-out heroin addiction.
Somehow even during the intense scenes of her getting high and her life becoming unmanageable, she holds on to her consistent sardonic, airy tone. You know you are reading about a horrible chapter of her life, yet she allows herself to remain detached in ways. At times I wished the book would go further into detail of her issues, but the point is, that she has recovered and that remains the important aspect. “I moved to New York City, hit what I thought was rock bottom, went to rehab, relapsed, hit rock bottom for real, went to rehab for real, heard Betty Ford do a speech and saw God in a strawberry and now I’m better.” Haha.
Her mantra is you live you learn, and it is clear that her passion for writing could not be squashed by her addiction. This book is real, rough and modern. I would definitely recommend it. So go ahead, treat yourself to a glimpse of what horrors lie beneath someone else’s day-to-day routine instead of your own. Boys, this one is for you too. Happy reading!