She’s My Kind of Girl
She’s My Kind of Girl
Honesty in writing is everything. It can’t always be defined, but as the reader, we know it when we see it. And when we don’t. Sometimes it’s in the way a writer will shape characters to reflect aspects of themselves. Or create a situation where something that desperately needs saying can be said.
It’s a feeling of “yes, that’s the way things are.”
Sometimes, honesty is just the plain truth of a life lived and the meaning made of it. Laid bare and vulnerable. In that type of writing, perspective is just as important as honesty. When those two weights are balanced, you can’t help but see pieces of yourself mirrored back to you.
Clare Bowditch, Your Own Kind of Girl
Clare Bowditch’s novel is one of those kinds of memoirs.
Your Own Kind of Girl is the memoir of Australian singer, songwriter, actress, radio star, and entrepreneur Clare Bowditch. But it’s not about how she shot to stardom. It’s about her early life. The high points were made all the more poignant by understanding her heart-wrenching, personal lows.
The death of her sister, her struggle with disordered eating and mental ill-health, while all the while seeding a singing and writing career. It’s a story about grief and at its core, it’s a story about survival. Clare tells it with honesty and perspective in equal measure.
For so many reasons, this book deeply resonated with me.
Clare is from my generation. Actually, she’s only a year older than me. She talks of a love for Jeff Buckley that eerily mirrors my own (seriously, who couldn’t help but love his music?) She calls the voice in her head that’s harsh and critical Frank. And I have one of those too. Maybe we all do to some extent. While mine hasn’t talked to me about my weight, or sent me into full-blown depression, it has given me anxiety.
And probably (or even definitely) made me do a lot of dumb shit over the years.
Clare shows us her wounds, and that is a brave thing to do. And she is wise about it. She offers the kind of practical hope-filled perspective that is a beacon of light for those who need to find a way out of it. At all times, Clare is forthright, yet gentle. Reading her is very much like talking to an old friend. She is warm, funny, and fascinating.
Your Own Kind of Girl inspires us to dig deeper into our lives. To create a greater sense of our own honesty, and perspective. It offers us hope for a new day and lets us know we’re not alone with our Franks. That maybe that voice is not as powerful or believable, as we first think.
Have you read this book? What did you think about it? I’d love to know your thoughts! If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. Your Own Kind of Girl is available through Allen & Unwin.