I Don't Have a Happy Place
Cheerful Stories of Despondency and Gloom
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
When a trip to the therapist ends with the question “Can’t Kim be happy?” Kim Korson responds the way any normal person would—she makes fun of it. Because really, does everyone have to be happy?
Aside from her father wearing makeup and her mother not feeling well (a lot), Kim Korson’s 1970s suburban upbringing was typical. Sometimes she wished her brother were an arsonist just so she’d have a valid excuse to be unhappy. And when life moves along pretty decently--she breaks into show business, gets engaged in the secluded jungles of Mexico, and moves her family from Brooklyn to dreamy rural Vermont—the real despondency sets in. It’s a skill to find something wrong in just about every situation, but Kim has an exquisite talent for negativity. It is only after half a lifetime of finding kernels of unhappiness where others find joy that she begins to wonder if she is even capable of experiencing happiness.
In I Don’t Have a Happy Place, Kim Korson untangles what it means to be a true malcontent. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic realism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don’t Have a Happy Place is told in humorous, autobiographical stories. This fresh-yet-dark voice is sure to make you laugh, nod your head in recognition, and ultimately understand what it truly means to be unhappy. Always.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Korson is a Vermont-based writer, wife, and mother but most notably a grouch, who crafts her moments of anxiety, disdain, and misanthropy with a healthy dose of humor. Originally from Montreal, Korson was an atypical kid who hated summer camp and riding bikes, but at nine she knew all the words to Sondheim's "The Ladies Who Lunch," which she broke out with an Elaine Stritch level of cynicism at Passover and other family gatherings. Her father, who worked in the garment industry, was no stranger to bronzer, purses, and Capricorn necklaces. Her mother, who leaves a very memorable impression on the reader, adopted a version of Phil Donahue inspired feminism and never left the house without full makeup and helmet hair that would have wowed the ladies of Dynasty. Korson's inner curmudgeon is challenged by her easygoing, nonplussed boyfriend turned husband the kind of guy who proposes to Korson while the two are on vacation in Mexico and getting cursed out, then books them an upgrade for another trip. Hilariously and unexpectedly, it's a trip to Disney World with her husband that really has her number, as she excitedly spots her childhood favorites, Chip and Dale, and later bursts into tears on the Small World ride. Korson's preoccupations checking crime blotters for neighborhood stats, being certain that her first child would come out crazy, avoiding chitchat at parties may keep her firmly in her cranky cave but will strike a funny bone in readers.
Customer Reviews
Even if you have a happy place, you will love this book!
Kim Korson delivers a fresh, smart, witty, and honest account of her life to date through the completely enjoyable stories filled with malcontent. Even if you have a happy place, you will love this book!
Through her smart, funny, and at times, sarcastic recounts of her life, Kim Korson gives a glimpse at what some out call a depressing look on her past. It is fabulous! I know what you are thinking, but this book was probably one of the most relatable memoirs I have read in a while. I laughed. I cried. I was depressed for a complete night once it was done! ...But in all seriousness, this book was truly a refreshing take that will make you laugh with (or more likely at) the author's stories.
To say that the author looks at everything with a haze of despondency could be true. However, I like to see it as she sees things at face value. Sure, there is a heavy does of the negative, but lets be honest, have you seen the news. I will admit, that Kim takes things even further than even I do. You will understand what I mean when you read the chapter about her moving and how her fears take on a life of their own. But no matter what story she tells, it is her truth.
As we make it through each story that builds a picture of Kim’s life, there is pain, anger, and fear. However, as she recants these tales, her writing is so truthful and represents her voice so well that at times you may find yourself smiling or laughing. Through it all, the author maintains her voice. I mentioned her “truth” above, but I think that what I meant is that the author unabashedly lays it all out there for the reader. There is no holding back or hesitation for the fear that the reader will judge her. Kim’s writing is a unique voice that captures the despondency and gloom that resides in each of us. She has truly given us a fresh look at what a memoir can be and I personally can’t wait to see what comes next!
If you are looking for a book about unicorns and how wonderful puffy clouds are, you obviously didn’t read the title or the back of this book. This book is real and lays one woman’s journey all out there for us to enjoy, laugh at, and sometimes take a minute to look at our own lives. Every page is a reflection of what the world can be seen as. And let’s face it, it is not always a happy place.
Too long
And repetitive