A moving, witty, hopeful and occasionally frustrating memoir from an American doctor and writer.
Good in a Crisis, rather than being an autobiography of Overton’s whole life, is a memoir that concentrates on her life after her divorce. Her husband leaves her and her two teenage daughters after cheating for ten years. In a new apartment with her younger daughter and ageing dog, Overton turns to internet dating to rediscover her confidence. Her recollections of the subsequent dates are mostly hilarious, as she finds that there really are quite a few screwballs out there. One does start to wonder why she goes through with some of the dates – she’s an intelligent woman and yet seems, frustratingly, to have next to no self-awareness when it comes to men and dating.
This isn’t just a dating memoir. Overton also writes about how, whilst she was recovering from the divorce, she discovered that she had a brain aneurysm which could have killed her, had it not been for pioneering and risky treatment. Her daughter had a serious accident whilst at college, her mother developed dementia following an operation and a close friend died, all in the space of a few years. Overton’s reaction to these life-changing events was to discover that, whilst as a doctor she knew how to take care of other people, she wasn’t great at taking care of herself. This, she decided, had to change.
I did think that Good in a Crisis was a good read. Overton’s writing is full of humour (and swearing), but it is also thoughtful and meditative. When it comes to writing about certain incidents, her style becomes very matter-of-fact. I suspect that this is a coping mechanism, as the events that she is describing are traumatic and obviously still painful, but it jars slightly with the overall tone. However, these somber parts are balanced by sections which made me snort with laughter. A thought-provoking book, but perhaps not as focused as it could be.
3/5
EDIT: Overton’s own blog is interesting, especially the post on the Guardian’s choice of excerpt. Apparently I’m as guilty as them for referring to the book as a dating memoir. I do understand why she would say that it is about surviving a near-death experience, but there are a lot of dates…
This book was provided for review purposes by www.welovethisbook.com.
