This is my first review in a while. I got caught up in other aspects of my life, work, childcare and the constant, ever-present monotony of lockdown, COVID and isolation.
I have had a rough couple of weeks, my relationship ended suddenly and I had isolated myself to a very small portion of my bed.
Reading is and always has been my happy place. But when I am in the anxiety of raw emotion, I find it hard to concentrate; to settle to anything that takes any level of cognitive ability. So, unable to read a sentence I downloaded the audiobook; and I am so glad I did. This book is magnificent.
Life in Pieces is the diary of COVID isolation by the amazingly funny Dawn O’Porter. Let me start by saying I have been a fan of O’Porter for a very long time. Her Instagram and her blog have got me through some really dark moments. I have long been under the assumption that were we ever to meet, that of course we would become the very best of friends. She is hilarious and honest; two of my absolute favourite qualities in a human. I like her.
O’Porter, it is right to point out, was a very close friend of Caroline Flack. Caroline took her own life in February this year and it shook the English media and public to its core. O’Porter uses a potent disclaimer at the start of the book, that although much of her lockdown has been shrouded by the veil of grief, this is not a book about Caroline or the heart-breaking end to her life. I valued her for saying this.
From the outset, O’Porter is just so funny. I know I may say that a lot throughout this review, but she really is. I found myself howling with laughter at points. The way she describes the most monotonous scenarios is bathed in her intelligent humour and gorgeous writing. Her life in LA with Chris, her actor husband and their two sons, Art and Valentine makes for some kind of comedy show that a TV studio really needs to option. Did I mention she is funny?
Life in lockdown has been hard for us all. O’Porter captures despair and loneliness and boredom beautifully. She talks about parenting so honestly it made me ache; I love her for that honesty, that normalcy; it made me feel human. She admits to hiding in a cupboard when things get a bit much and eating too many crisps when she is having a bad day.
O’Porter guides us through lockdown and for me at least, it was the guide I never knew I needed. From hellish home-schooling, poo’s on a trampoline, Whatsapp groups, Kaftan fantasies and drinking Margaritas from 10am. She just makes everything feel ok.
One of my favourite sections of the book is where she describes spending an hour doing Playdoh with her boys. The homely scene culminates in the inevitable ‘mixing’ of the dough into a big, brown mess and the boys throwing it at her and shouting ‘POO!’. The way she describes it is just so comical and relatable and familiar. I have personally banned Playdoh from our house because it upsets me so much when the colours get squished together. Children are savage; and a little bit disgusting.
It’s these ordinary, almost ‘dull’ moments, that O’Porter writes so well.
Interwoven with the diary style entries of her life in lockdown, O’Porter allows the reader snippets of the overwhelming grief of losing her best friend. In one such part in the audiobook you can audibly hear her holding back tears. I cried with her, huge, fat tears.
It always astounds me how wonderfully cathartic crying is, even if the pain is not your own.
This Is the book I needed, these words and this humour and its overwhelming, comforting honesty.
Above all else, this book enabled me to see that although this year has dealt me a bad hand at times, pieces don’t stay pieces for long. After all, to break is human and we should never feel bad for sometimes wanting to hide in cupboards, or in my case, hibernate under a 15- tog duvet.
If you need a laugh, or maybe a good cry, grab a margarita and settle down to Life in Pieces. It’s the tonic we all needed in 2020.
It’s good to be back.
- Katie D xx
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