American Housewife

by Helen Ellis

[Hillary]

This book was blowing up in the book blogging world, so I had to read it. My hold at the library came up quickly. I read it while recovering from surgery but I was in no condition to write, so I am just now getting it up.

First, I read this through the haze of Percocet. I think that made the bizarreness of this book even more fascinating. I am sure reading this sober is fine also but through the haze of Percocet it was like the stories just made sense in a way that I doubt it would sober. I am not to sure that I would have liked this book as well if I had not been doped up.

It is a series of short stories that I think is supposed to be satire. I hope. Anyways they start off mudane, and I was left with oookkk why is this book so popular? Then I read more and with each passing story they got more and more bizarre. Like i said, i was doped up, and I felt some kinship with the characters that seem even more fucked than I was while reading this.

This book has dark undertones, so if you are looking for happy stories, this is not it. It is crude and bizarre. I know some bloggers did not like it for that reason. I can see why there is a lot of offensive materials in the book. If you want to enjoy it, you must like dark crude humor and expand your mind.

I liked this book. I did. It may even make my top ten list in December. I wonder if I had read it while sober if it would have had the same effect on me? I have no idea.

Have you ever read a book while under the influence that you would not have under normal circumstances?This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land