Dear Mr. You

August 10, 2015
Actress Parker, winner of Tony and Emmy awards, brings her talent for words to the page in this epistolary collection as she recounts scenes from her life through the men who have influenced her, for better or worse. In a letter to her late father, she writes of his time as a soldier in the Philippines in WWII, where he was shot, barely making it out alive. Decades later, he takes the family to Europe when he can’t afford it because Parker’s plans to make the trip with friends fell through. He’s a father who stands up for his child when the librarian thinks Parker has lied about how many books she’s read, and she sees him in her young son as he defends her against another woman’s insults. In a warm tribute to her accountant, Abraham, who becomes a lifelong friend (the kind of person who goes to his office on his day off to get her son’s passport), she recounts their first meeting when she was a 20-something broke mess (she is now 50) and fell asleep on his office couch. Parker has a raw and powerful apology for the cab driver she cursed out when pregnant and on her own, during dark days when she hadn’t been leaving the house. When he tells her to get out of the cab because he “doesn’t want her anymore,” Parker, in so much emotional pain it “hurts to breathe,” can barely utter, “No one does.” Like her performances, some of her recollections and interpretations come across as unusual, but there are also many lovely moments touched with grace and beauty.

Mary-Louise Parker narrates her own collection of essays in epistolary form. It's a memoir of letters written to often unnamed men--boyfriends, family members--who were significant in and influenced her life. Her gently expressive performance matches her often dry wit and gives her confessions an air of authenticity and intimacy. More crafted than the typical celebrity memoir, Parker's book moves back and forth in time, highlighting moments both funny and serious, as when she contrasts silly college sexual escapades with a humbling lesson in taking constructive criticism from a professor who didn't like her. Parker's blend of mischief, tenacity, intelligence, and sensitivity shines through her performance. Her many fans will enjoy. A.F. 2017 Audies Finalist � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine