The First Ten Years
Two Sides of the Same Love Story
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
March 1, 2021
In this joint memoir, Fink and Bashwiner recount the first decade of their relationship. In a chronological narrative, the authors take turns sharing their perspective of significant events in their lives, beginning with their first meeting in 2009 while selling tickets to an art collective in the East Village. He was from Southern California and hoped to become a writer. She was from New Jersey and dreamed of being in the theater. As their story begins, readers will discover familiar feelings of joy and uncertainty as the authors explore the details of their new relationship, including their first date, first kiss, and, later, the decisions to move in together and to get married. The authors also share accessible moments of doubt, fear, stress, and heartbreak, including fights and disagreements, loss of self-confidence, and feelings of mental and emotional turmoil. However, at the point in the text when their careers begin to take off, the tone and accessibility shift. The details of their careers become the primary focus, especially repetitive discussions from both authors about the creation and ongoing success of Welcome to Night Vale, a podcast based on the concept that the listener has tuned in to a rural radio station in the fictitious Southwest desert town of Night Vale. "It was something we had no control over. We had no choice but to keep saying yes to all the new opportunities it offered us," writes Bashwiner, whose increased use of profanity begins to lose its emphatic effect as the book progresses. Toward the end of the text, both sides of the narrative begin to turn around, as the authors discuss universally relatable feelings about having children. However, the story never fully recovers. A fresh take on memoir writing that offers moments of humor and insight but fails to live up to its potential.
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March 26, 2021
This joint memoir, cowritten by performer Bashwiner and Welcome to Night Vale cocreator Fink, tells two sides of their shared love story, spanning 2009 to 2019. This entertaining and often humorous work covers big life moments, such as the death of a parent, the loss of a job, a cross-country move, and more, as Fink and Bashwiner commit to each other and their relationship. The duo explore how they met in New York and each made personal and professional changes to achieve their creative dreams; they end the book with discussions about embarking upon parenthood. Bashwiner and Fink cover the events of each year separately (they say they didn't talk to each other about their respective versions of events before they began writing), which leads to some instances of differing recollections. This is a unique way to hear how each experienced monumental events such as their first kiss and their engagement. VERDICT Proving that there are two sides to every story, Bashwiner and Fink succeed in sharing theirs with the world. A recommended purchase for libraries where Fink's previous books (Welcome to Night Vale; Alice Isn't Dead) circulate well. This memoir is primarily for longtime fans of either of the authors.--Mattie Cook, Flat River Community Lib., MI
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
دیدگاه کاربران