Barbara Carter's Reviews > Liar
Liar
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I picked this book up in a used bookstore. First because it’s a memoir. Second because I really loved the cover and the title.
I wasn’t familiar with Rob Roberge’s writing, but since reading this book all his other books are now on my to-buy and read list.
What I first found strange about this memoir was that it wasn’t written in first person but in second person, referring to himself as “you”.
Referring to the story of your life in this way creates a divide between the person telling the story and the person the story is about. It’s like he’s standing outside himself and telling another part of himself about what he did.
Not sure why he chose to write this way. Maybe for reasons of his not being able to clearly remember of a lot of events, I don’t know. But what I feel is that by not using first-person “I” it removes responsibility, almost like putting the blame on the other guy, “you did it. Not me, but YOU”. It kind of reminds me the phase from the late 70s “the Devil made me do” made popular by comedian actor Flip Wilson. Blame your actions on something or someone else.
The other interesting part to this memoir is the hopping around in the timeline, not just from past to present, but from past events, to more recent events, to specific dates, along with bits of historical facts, such as the murder of his childhood girlfriend, and quite a few bits of information regarding the Titanic.
Sometimes I experienced a bit of fatigue while reading this book. Sometimes it was as exhausting as I imagine living his life is. Maybe he wanted the reader to experience a bit of that, again, I don’t know.
All I do know is: it’s an interesting read about a man not only with a diagnosis of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, but also of a teacher of creative writing and of a man who plays guitar and sings with a band in LA, the Urinals.
If you enjoy a bit of a different read, then I recommend this book. It is a memoir like no other.
And to this end, I trust this book to be true, otherwise, Liar, liar, pants on fire!
I wasn’t familiar with Rob Roberge’s writing, but since reading this book all his other books are now on my to-buy and read list.
What I first found strange about this memoir was that it wasn’t written in first person but in second person, referring to himself as “you”.
Referring to the story of your life in this way creates a divide between the person telling the story and the person the story is about. It’s like he’s standing outside himself and telling another part of himself about what he did.
Not sure why he chose to write this way. Maybe for reasons of his not being able to clearly remember of a lot of events, I don’t know. But what I feel is that by not using first-person “I” it removes responsibility, almost like putting the blame on the other guy, “you did it. Not me, but YOU”. It kind of reminds me the phase from the late 70s “the Devil made me do” made popular by comedian actor Flip Wilson. Blame your actions on something or someone else.
The other interesting part to this memoir is the hopping around in the timeline, not just from past to present, but from past events, to more recent events, to specific dates, along with bits of historical facts, such as the murder of his childhood girlfriend, and quite a few bits of information regarding the Titanic.
Sometimes I experienced a bit of fatigue while reading this book. Sometimes it was as exhausting as I imagine living his life is. Maybe he wanted the reader to experience a bit of that, again, I don’t know.
All I do know is: it’s an interesting read about a man not only with a diagnosis of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, but also of a teacher of creative writing and of a man who plays guitar and sings with a band in LA, the Urinals.
If you enjoy a bit of a different read, then I recommend this book. It is a memoir like no other.
And to this end, I trust this book to be true, otherwise, Liar, liar, pants on fire!
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
October 30, 2018
–
Finished Reading
November 19, 2018
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Cathy
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Nov 19, 2018 08:04PM
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We’re going to say it’s a word now. Lol