Famesick
If you enjoyed this review, please consider purchasing this book from my Amazon Associates link (applies to Kindle purchases as well): https://amzn.to/45jesug. The commissions I receive from your purchase help pay for the costs of running this website. Thanks for your support!
Famesick has radicalized me into a Lena Dunham apologist. I actually don’t think that was her intent, but perhaps since I’m so far up her butt now, I automatically assume that everything she does is pure of heart. I am not a lifelong Lena stan; like many, I’ve found her off-putting at times, without really being able to put my finger on why (a concerningly common complaint). I wouldn’t have read this book if it hadn’t been for my friend Abby, who is a celebrity in her own right. When she’s not signing autographs, I have the privilege and honor of calling her out on some of her book recommendations. Unfortunately, she recommended We Begin at the End and Deacon King Kong; fortunately, those are overshadowed by her recommendation of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, which is one of my favorite books of all time.
Anyway, when Abby speaks, I generally listen, especially if you’ve ever heard the decibel level of her voice. For context (good lord, is this entire review going to just be context?), I watched Girls when it was first released. I was living paycheck to paycheck in NYC and trying to navigate fresh-out-of-college friendships, so the show was basically made for me. I was intrigued by it and watched the full series; however, when Devin and I recently attempted a rewatch, it didn’t land. I also read her first memoir, Not That Kind of Girl. Unlike a lot of people, I liked it. I preferred her written work (I’m in good company… George Saunders, David Sedaris, and Judy Blume gave glowing reviews). Aside from specific complaints about an essay with her sibling (it was completely overblown by Fox News- shocker. I went back and read it myself! Anyone complaining probably has not read the book), I think it read as self-absorbed, and you know what– she probably was. She was 24 years old when she started writing, acting in, and directing Girls, and she got a $3.7 million advance for Not That Kind of Girl. I would have been self-absorbed too. I actually cringe a little at my review of the memoir (it was one of my very early reviews, less than a year after I started my book review blog, so I was ~24 myself). What do 24-year-olds know? Literally nothing. Lena and I, we’re one and the same!
Okay, context over. That’s all to say that I had plenty of Lena Dunham exposure but wasn’t necessarily jazzed about diving into this memoir. I’m so glad that I overcame my lack of jazz. It covers a lot of ground, from 2009 when Tiny Furniture caught the attention of well-connected people like Judd Apatow all the way through 2021. So, we get Girls, Jack Antonoff, health crisis after health crisis, and the controversies that ensued. I’m actually disgusted with myself for how many incorrect assumptions that I held about her. For example, I just assumed that she never wanted kids, leaning into a girl-boss narrative. So, when she had her hysterectomy, the sacrifice did not register for me. Turns out, she actually really wanted kids. This is just one of many assumptions that she upended. Of course, there are juicy bits of drama, like any memoir worth reading, but I emerged feeling proud that she was able to tell her own story and clarify the misconceptions.
I do have some minor complaints. She sometimes confusingly moves back and forth in time. Like, she’ll be on a chronological arc, then tell an old story to prove a relevant point, but it’s hard to keep track of when that happened or what the dynamic was at the time. It wasn’t a huge issue, but it occasionally disrupted the flow. Also, Jack remains nebulous to me. I can’t pin that man down. It’s not necessarily her job to do that, especially because she’s talking from her own experience, but I selfishly yearned for a bit more to hold onto.
Overall, Lena is clearly a magnetic person. There’s a reason why she spoke at Taylor Swift’s wedding. There’s a reason why Nora Ephron loved her and went out of her way to take her under her wing. She is very funny and articulate, and she’s been through the wringer both emotionally and physically. It gave me a lot of compassion for her, but it didn’t read as a whiny, woe-is-me story. It was actually a love letter to her dad, for seeing her and supporting her in ways that no one else did, especially through the smoke screen of celebrity. All in all, this is a 5-flamer for me. I don’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but when I do, I want them to be honest and funny, and Lena delivers both.
