We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Irby

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Kirby

Read by Samantha Irby

9 hours, 17 minutes

Published May 2017 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

 

Publisher's Summary: 

Whether Samantha Irby is talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making “adult” budgets; explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette (she's "35-ish, but could easily pass for 60-something"); detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father's ashes; sharing awkward sexual encounters; or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms (hang in there for the Costco loot!); she's as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.

My Thoughts: 

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life was one of the New York Times Critics Book of the Year in 2022. As a general rule, that would make a book one that would be easily recommendable. This one? This one is definitely not for everyone and you should know that about it before you pick it up. 

Because you will not want this book playing in the background while you're ordering coffee just as it comes to a part where Irby is talking very graphically about sex. And there's a very good chance that will happen to you even if you only stop for coffee a couple of times while you're listening to this one. If you're someone who's already familiar with Irby, this probably won't come as a surprise; but it did come as a surprise to me. I like to think that I'm not a prude; but sometimes when I'm taken aback by sexual encounters in books, I think I just might be. Those parts made me uncomfortable and made me wonder if I wanted to keep listening to this book. 

But if you can get by that (or if you're then kind of person who this kind of thing doesn't bother at all), there's a lot to like about this one. Irby is funny; self aware and unafraid to make fun of herself; and very open about her difficult life growing up, her abusive father, how very bad she is when it comes to relationships. 

That cat on the cover of the book? Irby got stuck with a kitten who came with a boatload of medical issues and a very bad attitude, who she named "Helen Keller." In Irby's version of the relationship, you would think there wasn't one redeeming thing about Helen and that she lived to make Irby's life miserable. But you would probably also get the impression by the amount of the book that's devoted to Helen, that Irby grew pretty attached to that sickly, cranky girl, especially when you read the piece about Helen's final trip to the vet. As a cat mom (yes, I said "mom"), that part got to me! 

Will I read more of Irby's work? I'm not sure. But if I do, I'll know what I'm likely to encounter and that there will be plenty of humor and emotional openness to offset the tough-for-me stuff.