Review: I Want to be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
Synopsis:
R
achel Bloom has felt out of place her whole life, whether in the hallowed halls of Manhattan Beach Middle School or on Twitter. Singled out by teachers, dumped by weird boyfriends, and ridiculed by roommates who were just trying to get some sleep, she knew something about her was “off.” So she’s decided to figure out exactly what makes her different. In this collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing) that made her a star, Rachel writes about everything she thought made her abnormal, from her struggles with mental health, to her love of Disney and Spanx, to the story of how she didn’t poop in the toilet until she was four years old. Her stories are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing). No spoilers, but along the way, she might just come to realize that a lot of other people feel as abnormal as she feels. Okay, fine, spoiler: She totally comes to realize that.
Rachel Bloom is and always will be my absolute hero.
For those of you unfamiliar with who she is, Rachel Bloom is an actress, comedian, and singer who created and starred in the musical TV series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (she also co-wrote all the music). The show is the best representation of someone struggling with their mental health that I’ve ever seen. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, poignant, and the songs are all amazing. So I was excited to pick this book up.
Here, we get a collection of essays detailing Bloom’s struggles mental health, bullying, her anxiety and insomnia; ultimately it’s about how she learned to accept herself for who she is, no matter how weird she may be. It’s so refreshing to read someone be so candid and unapologetically themselves.
“When you’re going through your first bout with a mental health issue and don’t know any better, the aloneness is the worst part. The feeling that what you have is undefinable, solitary, and it inevitably brings up the question: If I’m alone in this, what if I’m doing it to myself and does that mean I could stop if I really wanted to?’”
This is why Bloom is so relatable. She’s not afraid to delve into topics that other people consider “taboo,” because she realizes the power of sharing these stories. She balances the heady topics with the same humor and compassion that I saw and loved in her show.
Her voice is so strong, unique, and utterly hilarious. This is unlike any memoir I’ve ever read. In one chapter, she casts herself in a fairytale about a princess cursed to forever entangle herself with emotionally unavailable men. In another, her past self interviews her future self, and says “Your handwriting looks like a serial killer.” (It does) She shares “erotic” poetry that she wrote when she was twelve years old, which is pure gold. One chapter even features a musical interlude—you can listen to her perform it here.
She talks about being a nerdy theatre kid and loving it, and how she reconciled her love of theatre with the very real issues in the culture, including the “Niles Crane-esque snobbery.” For the record I was/am a theatre kid, and that is absolutely how I feel sometimes. I also love everything about the show Frasier, so any reference to it is going to be a hit with me.
My favorite was the chapter in which she indulges in some Harry Potter fan fiction; he discovers the Hogwarts Drama Club and is deeply unimpressed.
However, Bloom’s humor is not for everyone. This book is irreverent and engaging, but if you’re not a fan of toilet humor this probably isn’t for you. Also, if you’re looking for a memoir with more of a narrative element, this is not going to be it. The chapters move in chronological order for the most part, but they’re really more like standalone essays that are only tangentially connected with one another.
But if you’re up for it, I highly recommend this book. It’s perfect if you’re looking for an escapist read, and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. I also cannot recommend the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend enough (available on Netflix); don’t be put off by the title. If you need more convincing, here’s one of my favorite songs from the show.
Content Warning: profanity, toilet humor, mental health, anxiety, depression, OCD, bullying, insomnia, etc.