A few weeks ago, Leslie and I and our respective husbands went to hear a friend sing Vitello’s in Studio City. Knowing Portrait of a Bookstore was right across the street, we left the club with 30 minutes to spare before the store closed (love the late night hours at the store!). How much damage could we do in 30 minutes? Well, a lot. Keith bought most of my birthday present, plus books for himself. After a very convincing pitch from the bookseller, Leslie bought Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman, a book that generally would not have attracted either of us. So much for what we know, here are Leslie’s thoughts on the book:
One of the things I like most about independent bookstores is that the employees (many of whom are owners or invested in the business) are truly big readers. Since I’m assuming none of them are getting rich working there, they must really love books.
When I walk into an independent bookstore, I typically ask “What can you recommend?” This may either be for me or for my two pre-teen daughters. In many cases, my question has been rewarded with wonderful surprises.
Recently, Kim and I, along with our husbands, went to Portrait of a Bookstore, one of my favorite independents, is just across the street from a jazz club we visited. Needless to say, we walked out with books in our arms. Well, actually, the guys carried them.
As usual, the woman that was working that evening was just chock full of recommendations. One of the books that she mentioned was Hypocrite in a Pouffy Dress, a memoir, by Susan Jane Gilman. This is a book, had I simply seen on a shelf, I would never have picked up. I’m really fussy about the non-fiction I read and memoirs typically bore me. Most memoirs that I’ve read seem to be a regurgitation of someone’s life growing up in a dysfunctional family. I have my own dysfunctional family – I don’t need someone else’s. The exception to that is anything written by David Sedaris. If you’re a fan of his books, you’re going to love Gilman.
Hypocrite is the story of Sarah Jane Gilman growing up, starting in the late 60’s, in New York City. She has written the chapters, each a short story that can stand on its own (some have already been published in magazines) in fairly chronological order, picking out some delightful nuggets to share with us. At times flat out fun, at times really poignant, Hypocrite was one of those reads that I didn’t want to put down, yet didn’t want to finish. She shares a story about racism as she tried to understand it at the age of eight. Or, not understand it, which pretty much says it all. Her story about meeting Mick Jagger completely cracked me up. Yet, her story about a trip to the concentration camps in Poland enlightened me and gave me pause. Her writing is graceful, profound and witty all at the same time.
Is there a dysfunctional family? Yes, but only slightly dysfunctional, as families go. They are loving and supportive. In fact, her stories of her mom and dad are some of the best in the book. At the end of it all, I felt that I had met them all. I’d really like to get to know them better.
Tags: bookseller recommendations, California, California bookstore, memoir, Studio City, Studio City bookstore
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It’s so strange that the same image was used on the cover of one of Claire’s books. The British version, I think, which they re-titled “Olivia’s Sister.”
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I read this book several years ago and LOVED it! I laughed out loud so many times! She has also written a travel book memoir from when she was in her 20s, that one is also very good!
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