4 Memoirs So Compelling, They Read Like Novels

In Gwendolyn Knapp's debut, humor is as multi-layered as the junk-filled houses where she was raised; and, scatological jokes butt up against sophisticated turns-of-phrase in this wonderful and fresh take on the dysfunctional-family memoir. Knapp grows up in redneck Florida with her mom, Margie; her sister, Molly; and, her mom's boyfriend, John, a man unused to Knapp-style chaos. "John didn't know that getting involved with our family was a lot like getting initiated into a street gang. You might get kicked in the forehead, pistol-whipped, or sliced with a box cutter, sure, but most definitely you'd pierce an extremity with a fishhook, dislocate your shoulder with the recoil of a shotgun..." This novelistic collection of vignettes follows Knapp from Florida to the Big Easy, and from one unforgettable anecdote to another—lfights between Margie and Molly that teeter between violence and hilarity, Knapp's many failed relationships and even an encounter with a slumlord who runs a penis-of-the-day listserv. A rollicking, sharp-witted, laugh-out-loud sitcom of a read, with lovable characters, bawdy jokes and heartbreak galore—even if you're blessed with a perfect family, you'll find something to relate to in Knapp's immersive and fast-paced book about the baggage (or should I say junk?) that makes us who we are.