A review by cassreading
Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

5.0

This memoir was hilarious and moving, much like Nanette herself. There's so much to unpack here and so much I loved, from her decision to start with an epilogue (a reflection of the out of order way she came into adulthood, a promise that the present is just the beginning) to her constant attention to the world and people around her and how she was shaped as this like. little enmeshed creature.

I particularly loved her descriptions of childhood, which are so resonant for any lonely weirdos, neurotypical or not. And then there's her description of her creative process, which is so intriguing; she takes a simultaneously systematic and chaotic approach to it that, I think, ties into her descriptions of her own autistic thought process. I can't wait to watch Nanette again with the context of this "memoir situation" in mind.  The audiobook is the right way to read it, I think, because Hannah's narration is so stellar; I can't imagine reading it without her impression of her mother. 

There are some blocks of time that are missing, pieces of her life that I would like her to explore more. Coming into her lesbianism and her gender presentation, for instance, instead of just coming out. At the same time, it would be too much to ask of someone who is already giving her audience so much of herself, and it's not really necessary for this story.

10/10, perfect 5 star read to start off the year. A wonderfully moving, tense, joyful, and devastating read.
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