This book was exactly what I needed at the beginning of 2021, when holidays at a distance had been both cosy and pleasant, but also really sad, when the weather was getting me down, and when the prospect of going back to full time duty trying to keep my kid entertained at home without either of us ending up in tears felt impossible.
This is a series of posts written by Dawn O’Porter for her Patreon subscribers over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing everything from how to deal with two young kids, what to do when you can’t handle any more remote school, why wearing makeup is still important when no one can see your face, when it’s okay to start drinking and how to find some time for yourself when your house is overrun by toddlers (hint: it involves closets). This book is hilarious, engaging and so relatable.
It also deals with the loss of her friend Caroline, who committed suicide shortly before the pandemic hit, leaving her no time to grieve. This loss shook her to her core, left her with bubbles of sadness floating throughout her days, and changed her entire view of the world, making it a less certain place. O’Porter also lost her mother at a young age, and these two losses overlap in her consciousness affecting her in different ways.
One of the things I loved most about this book is that O’Porter feels like she’s in the trenches right along side us normal folk, even though she’s half of a celebrity couple (her husband is Chris O’Dowd). She discusses the amount of pee and poo her house has endured, how hard it is dealing with a sudden shift to full time mothering (it is absolutely terrifying to suddenly have to be everything to your kids), and the frustration of cooking a lovely meal only to spend it yelling at a toddler who would rather shake a bare bottom at her than eat. Her family is loud, messy, chaotic and very, very frustrated with the limits of pandemic life. But they’re also lovely and I wish I could be adopted by them.
This book was such an emotional ride for me. The main emotion was relief at suddenly feeling less alone than I have been for over a year now (this is the closest I’ve had to drinks and chats with friends since… I don’t even known when). But it also left me with sadness – for her pain at the loss of her friend, for the loss of her mother at such a young age (this hit me hard as the toughest part of my medical issues is the fear of dying before my daughter grows up), for the distance between her and her close friends and for what we are all missing right now – and the people who will not be here when this is all over. It made me angry at the governments that have not protected their citizens adequately, at the inequities that have poor countries and minorities in rich ones disproportionately bearing the weight of this pandemic, and gratitude that I was reading it from a warm home with food in the fridge, water for tea, lights to read by and the ability to isolate.
I think the only down side to this book is that it definitely keeps you up past your bedtime. I read the entire thing in a day. And I’m sure I’ll be reading it again before this whole situation is over. I also subscribed to her Patreon (she discusses her decision to share her work on Patreon rather than a blog, which I also thought was an important and inspiring discussion for creative women – I say on the blog I’ve been writing for a decade for free) which gave me access not only to her new posts, but to all her previous content as well. So the journey continues (she and her family have just moved to Canada because her husband is on location in Toronto, and she shared what it was like packing up two adults, two toddlers and a dog called Spud to move from LA to a cold, snowy city in another country during a pandemic – as you can imagine, it was not without drama).
I have not read any of O’Porter’s other work (I plan to now) but I can tell you that this book was absolutely the perfect thing to read after a long, hard year that still, despite having ticked over into 2021, doesn’t appear to be over yet. If you’re feeling sad, lonely, frustrated or burnt out, this book will help, I promise. If you’re curious what being a full-time (and I mean FULL-time) mom is like during such challenging times, this is the perfect book to find out. I will leave you with one of my favourite passages:
“Of course, this isn’t all awful. I have two amazing boys who make me laugh all the time and happily occupy themselves when I ask them to. They are healthy, gorgeous and kind. It could be worse. There could be three of them.” pg. 10
Dawn O’Porter has been thinking about life. In lockdown. Mostly from a cupboard.
From reflections on grief and identity, bad hair and parenting, sleep and spirituality, to the things we can control and the things we cannot, Dawn’s daily diaries track the journey – for a hilarious, heartbreaking and highly entertaining glimpse into the new normal.
LIFE IN PIECES is a book for anyone who’s been thrown into a life they didn’t plan, or who just wants to stick it to 2020. When it looks like everything’s falling apart, we’ll piece it back together.
Love Dawn x – Goodreads
Book Title: Life In Pieces
Author: Dawn O’Porter
Series: No
Edition: Hardback
Published By: Harper Collins
Released: October 1, 2020
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Humour, Pandemic, Family
Pages: 352
Date Read: January 9-10, 2021
Rating: 9/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5 (1,888 ratings)