This is not just a book about a cross-country road trip. It is also very much the cross-country road trip of books: a meandering adventure in which the main draw is spending time with the person in the driver’s seat ... But not every roadside attraction is a must-see. The drawings of figs and protein bars and David Bowie record covers interspersed throughout the book give the impression of twee jetsam. It seems like artistic malpractice — or the setup to a joke about millennials — to drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains and put pencil to paper to capture the spectacular natural beauty of … an episode of 'The West Wing' she’s just watched on an iPad ... For the most part, though, Jacobson is interested in talking about the things most readers are interested in hearing about ... That said, not even Jacobson possesses the literary prowess or the personality that would be required to sell readers on a minute-by-minute breakdown of insomnia ... And [establishing a small, meaningful connection with a stranger] is exactly what [Jacobson has] done here, with each one of her readers.
While asking many questions about adulthood — like what the impact of tucking in her shirt has had on her life — Abbi Jacobson infuses her sharp and witty voice to tell stories about loss, love and finding yourself.
Part travelogue, part diary, you come for the delightful observations about road snacks and the life-changing magic of tucking in your shirt, and stay for the endearingly honest, quirky reflections on life, love, art, and work.
