First, I read Jeanette Winterson's novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Apparently she received many accolades because it is considered a unique and modern style of writing.
I don't know about any of that. I only know that before the end, I was skimming through large tracts of it.
But then, from this library stack here in my home office, I picked up Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Winterson has written an autobiographical book filled with clear truths and simple explanations about her own life. Her observations are straightforward; her explanations are simple; her writing is powerful and alive. I don't want to put the book down. I want to quote her three dozen times for you already, just because she is saying things so goddamn well.
It's great when a book has that effect, isn't it! And for me, most autobiographies do.
