good reading choice
i recently finished poet mary karr's memoir the liar's club and i'm writing to let you know that i liked it. this is exactly the kind of book you need if you want something literary but not plodding, non-fiction but narrative based, and fast paced but deep. and darkly comic.
the story covers a series of iconic memories from a year during which karr is about 7(?) and living with her 9 year old sister, mom, and dad, in an oil town on the texas gulf coast, another year two years later in a colorado "resort" town, and their return to texas. karr explores her unique relationship with her father as well as her family's place in their community, captures the ironically complicated ambivalence of sibling rivalry, and defends her child's-eye insights into the meaning of family and loyalty. from the opening event it's clear that karr's mother is troubled. the last few dozen pages of the book cover karr's delving into these family secrets as an adult.
this is one of the precious few books i've read this year that were so perfect that i didn't want to finish reading. and even so, it ended in the right spot. i just wanted to continue to revel in the quality of the language and execution of this book a bit longer. so, basically, go to the library, find this book, thank me later.