My Mess Is a Bit of a Life

November 1, 2021
A respected film and TV writer looks back on her life and struggles with anxiety. Writing, notes Pritchett, is "just something that I like to do" rather than something she expected would garner accolades. But after she was awarded an "unnecessarily big [Hollywood] trophy," she suddenly felt as though she "was being slowly digested by a giant black snake." The jumbled, depressed author then went to a therapist only to find she literally could not talk about anything. So she began to write her story instead. The result is a droll memoir that explores the fears that began when, at age 3, Pritchett had the terrifying realization that "bad things happen" and "we're all doomed." The author portrays herself as a neurotic child worried about everything from dying in the night to monsters hiding under her bed: "Were they comfy enough? How could they sleep on a hard floor surrounded by crumbs and dust? Sometimes I slept under the bed so that they could have a turn on top." Pritchett credits her grandfather, acclaimed novelist and literary critic V.S. Pritchett, with teaching her that writing could be a "lifeline" to escape the hard-edged randomness of life. The author got her first break writing comedy for the British media outlet Radio 4 only to have her material credited to "George." Yet even as she experienced success, she was still "treated like an imposter"--not only for her lack of a degree from a prestigious university, but also because comedy itself was dominated by men who treated her with hostility and a sense of sexual entitlement. Though some readers may not fully appreciate Pritchett's spare style and the nicknames she uses when referring to those who are closest to her, anyone who enjoys Pritchett's work and/or British humor will no doubt like this book. Mordantly understated at times, delightfully sharp-tongued at others.

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Starred review from November 29, 2021
British comedy writer Pritchett debuts with a collection of zippy and poignant anecdotes that describe living at the crossroads of imagination and anxiety. As a child, she wondered if there were monsters under her bed—and, if so, were they comfortable in all that dust? But also, what if she was the Messiah, headed toward a violent death? Indeed, in Pritchett’s eyes, life isn’t simply terrifying—it’s nonsensical, as demonstrated when a friend is shuffled off to an ex-gay ministry after the two of them kiss: “The church wanted to exorcise me ,” she writes, “but that didn’t sound like much fun, so I said no.” As she grows up, her tendency to understate eats away at her, and her anxiety functions as a “Dark Overlord Beaver.” She sprinkles in more serious moments: a mentally ill man threatening her brother with a knife, or hearing racist taunts when she’s out with a boyfriend of color. The narrative becomes more intense (though still funny) as she confronts sexism in the entertainment industry (she writes for Succession and wrote for Veep), infertility and miscarriage, her partner’s cancer scare, and her sons’ autism diagnoses. The delivery’s delightful and as finely tuned as poetry or a tight stand-up routine. Her torment, as well as her joys, are readers’ gain. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners.

November 24, 2021
Pritchett has put words into the mouths of some of the funniest actors and comedians in the UK and the U.S., including Veep and Succession. In My Mess Is a Bit of a Life, she looks back at her life in a series of comedy vignettes, detailing everything from her childhood as a worrywort to her experiences raising two neurodivergent boys, in quick, pithy, self-deprecating prose. Whether describing her concern about the emotional state of the monster under her childhood bed or her own child's nursery-school achievements (He licked a sausage! Yes!), she finds plenty of fodder for comedy in her life. But it's the moments when Pritchett describes her own anxiety that really sing. Pritchett is able to describe the ways she feels--as child and teen constantly worrying, as an adult, struggling to find relief from her feelings--in a manner that is both relatable and meaningful. Readers will find lots to like about this memoir, especially those who may have experience with the emotions Pritchett details.

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