We're All Mad Here; an (in)elegant memoir
by Marie Kuipers
GENRE: Memoir
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/16/2024
DESCRIPTION:
If it’s not one thing, it’s a mother.
Fiercely opinionated and unapologetically peculiar, Marie Kuipers points to her New Jersey upbringing for her no-f*cks-given philosophy. As for why she spent most of her adult life underemployed, she credits her mom — who believes she knows better than God Himself — for that. Throw in a psychotic, catfishing ex-husband, a lifesaving Solo cup, some gnarly generational trauma, and emotional support poultry, and you’ve got the recipe for a (mostly) uproarious roller-coaster ride. Is she unhinged? Hard yes. Is she hilarious? Also yes. Join her in censuring such horrors as murderous umbrellas and, obviously, Steely Dan. Bond over such atrocities as puke, the patriarchy and plus-sized effrontery. Find unexpected solace in a simple feather. For everyone who has ever dreamed of conquering calamity, embracing chaos or banging a hot vampire, "We’re All Mad Here" plunges you into a tempest of heartbreak, hilarity and, finally, forgiveness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marie Kuipers is the “Grammar Hammer,” an eagle-eyed copy editor and proofreader dedicated to fine-tuning even the clunkiest prose, making it purr like a horny cougar. She graduated from Georgetown University 200 years ago and holds an editing certification from the prestigious University of Chicago Graham School, which, according to her mother, makes her “unemployable.” She lives with an assortment of flatulent dogs and coddled chickens near Chicago, where she coaches junior roller derby while still longing for New Jersey and its dubious assortment of encased meats. This is her first book.
REVIEWS:
"Accounts of the author’s experiences with roller derby and live chickens may make readers laugh out loud. These pieces are also riddled with charming digressions, which lend the book a gossipy readability. Some cover more serious topics, such as the author’s fraught relationship with her mother during the latter’s battle with mental illness, which manifested as hypochondria and extreme anxiety. These more difficult accounts she generally approaches with sensitivity while still maintaining an endearingly crass tone. Between all the expletives, readers will catch glimpses of a serene, life-affirming positivity: Her mother’s worried request that she improvise a helmet out of kitchenware suggested that something was deeply wrong, she says, but it also led to the drinking game 'Colander Head.' A career copyeditor, Kuipers delivers clean, snappy text — with occasional made-up words and expletive-laden insults.
A hilariously honest collection of revealing works. Get it." — Kirkus Reviews
COMPARATIVE FILM/BOOK:
Bridget Jones's Diary, Never Have I Ever, Let's Pretend This Never Happened
CASTING:
Marie: Kaley Cuoco, Mother: Jean Smart, Brother Billy (Beelzebub): Steve Carrell
PRIMARY VENUES/LOCATIONS WITHIN THE BOOK:
NJ (various), hospitals, Utah mountains, Chicago, roller derby tracks, rural farms
BOOK EXCERPT:
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