I am. I am. I am. a book review @duffythewriter

I Am. I Am. I Am. Think back on your childhood, on your teenage years, the past ten even.  How many times did you say ‘jeez I was lucky not to be picked up by that weirdo in the playground.’ ‘5 minutes later and I would have been in that crash’, ‘We left just a week after the terrorist attack,’ and ‘I was so lucky my doctor diagnosed me early.’  I bet there are quite a few times you’ve had a brush with certain death. It’s a strange feeling to think about life this way, and a unique subject matter for this brilliant memoir by Maggie O’Farrell.

Each chapter in O’Farrell’s memoir is focused on a body part. Neck, womb, heart, etc. It’s not always a medical threat to life; there is danger in all sorts of situations, some seen and some unseen.  A childhood illness of which she was not meant to survive, a teenage yearning to escape which went tragically wrong, a man on a secluded pathway who brought the shadow of death right to her feet.

Is I Am. I Am. I Am worth the read?

This book is impeccably written. Words are carefully chosen, and sentences are carefully crafted to communicate to the reader the fear, loneliness, worry, and isolation of these dangerous snapshots in O’Farrell’s life. I loved the sparseness of some of the chapters. You get the feeling that some of these incidents are still incredibly difficult to talk about and the author shares just enough. The rest is left for you to ponder.

I Am. I Am. I Am. Is a brilliant, unique memoir which I burned through in two sittings. It left me contemplating my own life and the crazy near misses in which death passed me by. Not this time, not this time.  I Am. I Am. I Am. left me with a book hangover of deep thought and reflection of my own mortality.

I’m looking forward to reading some of Maggie O’Farrells novels, which I believe has elements of some of these memories woven into the characters stories.

5 out of 5 – Couldn’t fault it

Buy now at Booktopia

Copy given to me by Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review.

Who Is Maggie O’Farrell?

Find out more about the author here

I Am. I Am. I Am. a review by @duffythewriter

I you liked this, you might also enjoy Pour Me – A memoir of an alcoholic by the late A.A. Gil.