Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson (2012)

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is a (supposedly) hilarious recounting of Lawson’s unconventional childhood and conventional husband, Victor.

I give a wide berth to writers, so it is rare that I actually dislike a book. I may not like it, but that does not mean that I dislike it.

I wanted to like “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” as it has been highly recommended by friends and bagged Goodreads’ Best in Humor Category in 2012. I plodded through chapter after chapter, but the more I read, the more I was not liking it.  When I finally reached the last page, I heaved a big sigh of relief and admitted to myself that I disliked the book.

Here’s why I do not find Lawson funny:

1. Too much profanity. Why does Lawson pepper her sentences with cuss words? If we teach children at an early age not to swear, why will we find a middle-aged person who can barely finish a sentence without letting go of a profanity, remotely funny?
2. I do not find stories of alcohol and substance abuse funny. These are serious issues
3. I do not find humorous, stories of self-confessed ineptness which can result in damage to life and property.
4. I do not find funny people who ridicule other people just to elicit laughs.

The book itself is muddled and disjointed, that it makes me wonder if Lawson had an editor. I do not see any purpose in this book – I did not learn anything new, I was not entertained, and I definitely did not find it hilarious.