Although it’s been a good four years since reading this memoir by Novak, I’m still recommending How to Weep in Public frequently to readers who love relatable stories that will make you laugh out loud while also making you internally die of (secondhand) embarrassment.
On pg. 2, Novak is already telling us:
“I definitely won’t try to cure you… No false promises of a life free of depression here…”
Isn’t that refreshing?
This memoir? guide is so sarcastically witty that it’s difficult to put down. Be warned, there are plenty of sexual references as well as some cursing, so this book is not for the faint of heart (or the easily offended).
The chapter names and section titles are very creative, as well. Instead of just introducing ‘chapter 1’, ‘chapter 2’, and so forth, we see them instead labeled as things like: “Babyhood: Early Practice in Crying While Making Eye Contact with Strangers”.
The Reading Experience
There were times in this book when I laughed out loud, and then barged in on my husband (or caught his attention) to read the section to him. Other times, How to Weep in Public was painfully easy to relate to. Stories – about an awful therapist and strange experiments to lose weight, ‘tips’ on how to make things easier to handle and thus be a better ‘depresso’ – flooded the pages. We can’t forget the lists, either. There are lists in this book on everything from: “A Few Good Books for the Depressed” to the “Top Five Tips for Crying in the Shower”.
Novak’s writing is so intensely satirical that you can practically hear the words in her voice – even without having heard her speak before. There’s just so much personality in this book.
If you like a humorous read that still keeps things real, pick up How to Weep in Public. You will be glad you did!
A Note to Potential Readers
** I feel like I need to address the issue of me being a Christian and reading (much less enjoying!) this book. Yes, I am a Christian. No, I am not easily offended. There are questionable (and even potentially blasphemous, depending on your perspective) sections of this book, but they are few. As far as I am concerned, we hear (and read) cursing pretty much every day. Since this book is not overloaded with cursing, it is not a problem for me. As previously stated, I do not recommend this book to the easily offended. **
If you enjoyed this work by Novak and are looking for another read, I’d recommend Liar by Rob Roberge. Funny (in a dark sort of way) and just as brutally honest as How to Weep in Public, Liar deals with suicidality and bipolar disorder, also in a memoir format.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] If you enjoy this book, another book I think you might enjoy is How to Weep in Public by Jacqueline Novak. While more tongue-in-cheek and memoir style than this book, it deals with […]