Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: a painful and gritty memoir with humor, wit and stark realism

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry is a painful and gritty memoir. The opening line: “Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead” says it all. The riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry from his childhood and his dream of fame, to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. A story of a young boy being shuffled from his mother’s in Montreal to his father’s in Los Angeles. A story of a fourteen year old nationally ranked tennis star in Canada. A story of a twenty four year old who would land the role of a lifetime and the fame he always dreamt of. To the outside world, Matthew Perry had it all. However, hidden behind the smile and wise cracking jokester was a man who was lonely, feeling unworthy of love and in a dark battle of addiction to drugs and alcohol. Matthew Perry’s journey to sobriety is filled with his trademark humor and a stark realism that many have never seen and he takes readers on this journey with frankness, self-awareness and extreme vulnerability. 

Many who know me know that I love Friends. It is my comfort show. A show I watch when I want to laugh and to relax. My favorite character has always been Chandler Bing. The vulnerable man who uses humor to hide his fears, insecurities and loneliness. Matthew Perry has been one of my favorite actors for years and his death in 2023 hit me hard. When he released this memoir, I was torn about reading it. I wanted to read it and yet, I was afraid. Recently, I got the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I usually don’t listen to audiobooks; but there is something about this book and listening to Matthew Perry narrating it. It was difficult to listen to. It is deeply intimate and eye-opening. I was in tears, knowing he had come so far, so filled with hope and yet he is gone from this world. His voice reminds me of someone else I know who battled with addiction and it added to the pain of his story. He intended his memoir to help those who struggle with sobriety and I pray that it does. I highly recommend Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. 

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing 

is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

 

Winter Garden: a story of a mother, her daughters and a painful secret

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is a story about two sisters who try to reconnect with a mother who shut them out many years ago. When a fairy tale from their childhood is retold, they discover that their mother was hiding a deep and painful secret.

Meredith and Nina Witson are daughter of Evan and Anya. The story begins in December 1972 as Meredith writes a play based on a fairy tale her mother tells her. After her mother abruptly stops the play and vows to never tell the fairy tale again, a wedge is placed between Anya and her daughters. Fast forward to 2000, Meredith is now married to her childhood sweetheart with two grown daughters and Nina is a world traveling photographer. When Evan suddenly dies, Nina is determined to hear the fairy tale again. At first Anya is resistant but soon she begins to tell the story again, Meredith and Nina realize that more and more elements of the story are different. They begin to realize that this story is no fairy tale but a story of their mother’s deepest secret. A secret she wanted to die with her. Will Meredith and Nina get the real story? Or will their mother keep her wall of secrecy?

I’ve been a fan of Kristin Hannah for many years and have read nearly all of her books. None of her books have affected me more than Winter Garden. The reader discovers the facts of the story along with Meredith and Nina and there are a great many heart gasping moments. I can’t give too many details about the fairy tale as it will ruin the course of discovery. I can say that this book is among the few in which I cried. My heart broke for Anya as she finally reveals the painful secret of many years ago. Events are described in vivid detail. My favorite line in the book is from Anya who tells her daughters, “You would be amazed at what the human heart can endure.” I highly recommend Winter Garden as it is a story of a mother and her daughters and the painful events in which human often must endure.

Winter Garden and other titles by Kristin Hannah

are available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and a bookstore near you.