Stack of Spines

Haven Kimmel has the driest and most wonderful sense of humor this side of the Mississippi.  Her memoir of growing up in Moreland, Indiana does not have much of a plot and reads a bit like a series of short stories which made it perfect on audio.  Kimmel herself narrates and her cadence and tone contributed to my enjoyment in a way only the author can provide.

I loved the vignettes she described and her wit just blew me away.  I had more than a few laugh-out-loud moments in the car and wished quite often that the book was longer.  For a memoir that is essentially a series of snapshots of her life, skips around a bit, and doesn’t have an easily identifiable theme beyond the basic notion that childhood should be carefree and enjoyed, the storytelling holds it all together and more than makes up for any potential shortcomings.  Kimmel herself is a bit goofy and her antics outlandish so I was surprised her writing was as great as it was despite her thinking being very out of the box. This is not a typical memoir by any stretch and I think that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much – Zippy is unique and superb.

Kimmel is relatively unknown (I had certainly never heard of her before and though the cover says New York Times Bestseller I was totally unaware it was) and there’s something to be said about picking up a book you know nothing about and just taking a chance.  A Girl Named Zippy turned out to be delightful and the subject is best described as life in early-1970s Indiana, nothing more.  It’s simple but also so complex.

I do wish there had been a bit more explanation of her name Zippy and how and if she got out of Moreland but I just discovered today a sequel titled She Got Up Off the Couch.  Luckily my library has it and I will surely be reading more soon.