Tramps Like Us by Kristen Buckley — Kristen emailed and asked if I’d like to read and review this book, as its Australian launch is coming soon. I’m glad I said yes, it’s smegging hilarious. Kristen’s better known for being a screenwriter for movies that… well, frankly, I wouldn’t go out of my way to see. Thankfully the foreword makes it clear that this is no 102 Dalmations.
The book is Kristen’s memoirs of childhood, growing up in New Jersey in the 70s and early 80s, and as someone a similar age, despite the distant location, it has an air of familiarity about it. We can all identify with having childhood dreams — in this case, she wanted to meet Sting — popularity issues at school, the trials of family.
I know a book is funny if I find myself reading it on the train and laughing out loud — which happened while reading some parts of the book, like the rat infestation and the badly written TV captions. Is it all true? Maybe, maybe not, but it hardly matters. I found it a highly entertaining read. It’s the type of book I’d love to write myself, but I fear that even if I employed gross exaggeration, it would come out nowhere near as funny or interesting. Don’t know when this will get an Australian release, but watch out for it. Recommended.
