They say that you can’t go home again. Rhoda Janzen’s memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is subtitled “A Memoir of Going Home.” You can indeed go home, but what Rhoda finds, and what we have all found, is that the home you return to is not the home that you leave, since we are not the person we were when we left.
When the author ends up back home after her divorce, she takes the time to look back over her life — examining her upbringing and religious culture. This isn’t so much a “revelation” or “cure” type of memoir. It’s really just a look at her life — how her past shaped her and how it continues to.
I laughed out loud throughout this book. The author’s characterization of her quirky mother and staid strong father is perfect. Though she has her differences with them in belief and culture, she loves them and respects them, and though she pokes fun at their quirks, she’s not poking fun at their religion.
The author is quite matter-of-fact and explicit about many sensitive topics, such as the end of her marriage when her husband leaves her for Bob who he met on gay.com, so this book might not be for everyone.
There are some thought-provoking truths about getting older, starting over, and family ties, but mostly it’s just an enjoyable fun and FUNNY read.
Jennifer Donovan also blogs at Snapshot about whatever she wants, which includes her life in Connecticut, her family, and her love of books.
This review and others from this week are linked to Semicolon’s Saturday Review of Books. Click on over and check out other reviews from the blogosphere, or add one of your own.
Well, I’m likely not going to like the explicit parts but! the title still catches my eye time and time again and it DOES sound humorous.