“Jean had too much time on her hands. She was hysterically happy and I was calmly miserable.”
In this so-called “working autobiography,” writer and Londoner Deborah Levy chronicles her life flipping upside down following a divorce and move into a dilapidated apartment. This short read, while touching on darker feelings, is composed of light-hearted prose and is surprisingly funny. A notable aspect of Levy’s new life is her writing office—a run-down gardening shack behind an old friend’s house. A winter spent struggling to cope with work and a shattered marital life in this unheated shed fosters much of the inspiration required to write this account of her emotional response to significant change. Also appreciated is Levy’s purchase of an electric bicycle. The physical freedom she is suddenly granted from this bike teaches her much about her previous lack of mental freedom.
I would recommend this short “autobiography” of sorts to anyone undergoing momentous shifts in either their physical or emotional life. The writer’s inner turmoil in light of the recent events in her life offers a fresh perspective on various topics such as birds, public parks, and motherhood in The Cost of Living.
“I had road rage…That is to say, I had a lot of rage from my old life and it expressed itself on the road.”
Deborah Levy’s other works, which include Hot Milk and another autobiographical piece titled Things I Don’t Want to Know have been placed at the top of my to-read list after thoroughly enjoying her writing style.
-MP