It takes one night of drunken clarity to bring Melissa's dark past to light. It took one fateful bike ride with her would be Mr. Perfect, for Melissa to realize that psych wards, fistfights, and chemical induced hazes are not the stuff of fairy tales and happy endings.
Laugh and cry along with a heroine who is not afraid to rip off the Band-Aids that have held her together for twenty-four years as she exposes her shredded secrets to the world for the chance of a life slightly normal. Follow her on her journey from the cocoon of hiding in her comic-filled closet to the raw, edgy openness of projectile vomiting all over her friend’s driveway, the black light emblazoned world of a college dorm acid trip gone horribly wrong, and her clumsy fumbling into the world of becoming a real-deal, actual human being.
Normal introduces readers to a heroine with whom grown and young women will relate and with whom young men will want to split a pizza. Her world resonates with readers because it is gut-wrenchingly honest, sad, yet comically endearing. She has a no-nonsense, non-touchy-feely attitude that the “whatever” type will know and love. But she never loses the capacity to hope. She rides the line between light and dark like a Jedi in turmoil, with the balance of a ninja master. It is a journey filled with digressions, trips into pop-culture, Appalachia, exotic cuisine, anything Melissa can use to distract herself from the truth she never sees.
It's hard to figure out what normal is when you realize you're surrounded by crazy, but Melissa Palmer never stops trying.
Thank you to Melissa for sending me a copy of this book for review.
I haven't read many books of this sort and admittedly it did take me a while to get into because of the writing style. I am used to fiction books, mostly chic-lit, so this was new territory for me. It is a true story of the author's life so it is written like a diary, however it is not a diary full of love or happiness, it is the story of the terrible things Melissa has been through and it is so raw and real.
The author warns of an unlikable character which is true as at first it is hard to like her, but once you get a little into the book you do end up liking her. I think the reason for this is that she is so real, open and honest about the pain she has felt. You start to really feel for her and desperately want to help her out and make life better for her.
There is no plot to this story it quite simply is the author telling us her real story, she never attempts to make you feel happier by adding joy where it should not be, she wants you to understand and feel her troubles along with her. However, although there are dark and upsetting there is still some humour and happiness in parts.
Melissa has the power to put you in the story with her and I think although she covers a lot of touching topics it makes you enjoy the story more because she is a real person whom this has happened to, it is not a made up character with a made up story. Melissa's writing is very straight to the point and easy to understand, the way you are taken through her story is great and keeps you interested. You spend the entire time rooting for Melissa and hoping that something good will happen to her. This book fascinates and frustrates you in equal measures.
I am not really sure what else I can say about this book because I think you would have to read it to see the emotion and appeal in it but I would recommend this book but don't pick it up if you are looking for a light fun read as this will pull at your heart strings.
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