Book No. 95 of 2020
I knew Patricia Lockwood solely as the writer of that iconic “jail for mother” tweet, and when I saw Priestdaddy on a best books list, I figured I should actually read her writing.
I was pretty stunned by this book—a good portion of it reads, and this sounds weird, like if David Sedaris wrote about Tara Westover’s childhood. (That’s such a bizarre concept, I know!) Lockwood is SO funny, and depicts her family members with a spare absurdness that makes you laugh reflexively, but she is also clear-eyed about the dark aspects of growing up in a insular, deeply conservative community with an imposing priest for a father. (CW: sexual abuse in the church, suicide, sexual assault.)
At the end of 2020 and all its political messes, it was fascinating and almost nauseating to witness the source of all the worst parts of political conservatism: the militant pro-life movement, the deep distrust of “the media,” sexism and racism dressed up as “traditional values,” the fantasies of masculine liberty, the rejection of higher education, the pervasive persecution complex—all borne out of modern-day American religious fanaticism. Lockwood depicts this all with complexity, empathy, and sweetness to accompany the bitter; she writes with the familiarity of a childhood in the church, the perspective of someone whose life and framework are inextricable from religious awe.
(I know I’m doing a poor job representing it as such, but this is also just a really funny and beautifully written book.)
Similar Reads
As stated earlier: very similar writing style to David Sedaris.
Huge thematic parallels to Tara Westover’s Educated and parts of Susan Fowler’s Whistleblower.
You can tell when authors are poets; I was reminded of Jenny Zhang’s Sour Heart, Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings, and Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.
The combination of extreme hilarity and painful vulnerability reminded me of Allie Brosh’s Solutions and Other Problems.