Life Sucks
Memories and Introspections During the Great COVID Lockdown
Oscillating between piquing ideas and warm memories with abandon, Life Sucks is a charming essay collection.
PS Conway’s introspective, gracious essay collection Life Sucks concentrates on childhood memories and popular culture.
Drawing reflections on history and culture into personal musings on postpandemic questions, most of these essays were written during COVID-19 lockdowns. They cover topics including Conway’s fear of clowns, his unflinching love for a dog, and his fluctuating health. Personal takes on American politics and Conway’s Irish family history arise among arguments toward a more compassionate, stress-free society.
The autobiographical portions of the book often focus on absurd childhood memories, as of a hippie aunt, Nature, whose use of the vacuum cleaner caused Red, the family dog, to escape; in the wake of Red’s disappearance, the book declares that the true vacuum was Nature’s heart. Elsewhere, memories of a teenage fishing trip end with an imaginative Jaws-inspired death. Mentions of Aristotle and Einstein’s theory of relativity mix into such stories at times, explained with clarity and undergirding the book with a sense of deeper knowledge. References to literary touchstones, including Iago from Othello and the novel Moby Dick, also speak to the book’s broad grounding.
The essays oscillate between tenses and ideas with abandon. There are thoughts on what it means to be grateful; there are tips for preparing for a colonoscopy. There are thoughts on German vocabulary and considerations of menopause. The connections between the essays are loose, though all are marked by candor. Humor is a frequent feature, too, as with a description of children: “There is no end to their feral cruelty, especially when running in packs.”
The chapters are succinct and steady, maintaining focus on the central memories or philosophies and providing multiple examples of Conway’s personal views. Some topics repeat: When discussing the Mandela Effect, explanations including time travel, alternate realities, and the Matrix are considered before the book works toward commentary on Donald Trump’s first presidency. Soon afterward, Conway submits a winking bid for the presidency himself while again sharing views on Trump. Arguments toward peace and in favor of more accepting, progressive governments balance out the cynicism seen elsewhere.
Also included are a few funny and morose flash fiction pieces that are rife with descriptive imagery. In one, an Irish girl with an unfortunate name gets revenge on her grandparents and strangles a leprechaun. In another, sexual tensions rise among competitive aging bingo players. These entries, which are rich in detail, lead to dissonance on the whole; while dark humor pervades both, the essays and fiction pieces are not otherwise made to connect.
An entertaining personal essay collection, Life Sucks uses comedy and introspection to explore intimate memories and philosophical theories.
Reviewed by
Jennifer Maveety
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
