Delia Ephron's SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG is something I
had yet to see before: an autobiography in essay form.
From the very beginning, the essays deal with the
darkness in the corners of the Ephron family. Subjects
include Nora Ephron's hospitalization and death, their
mother's alcoholism, the questions surrounding religious
experiences, and the fighting which ensues when related
people try to collaborate on personal work. She tempers
the serious elements of the essays with the sunshine.
Each essay contains some element of humor within. There
is a short treatise on baked goods and an almost poetic
ode to the weather and how the hair reacts. Fifteen
essays are not enough to cover a whole lifetime, but they
do bring on a beautiful picture of what life is like for
one of America's most gifted creators.
SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG is a fantastic read. Ephron's
style is so unique and charming that every essay snaps
you up from the very beginning. Her no-nonsense approach
to situations which annoy most of us—the red tape of
banks, online orders that go wrong, unnecessary changes
on social networking sites—will have you laughing until
you cry. The crying will keep going as you read the
fascinating family stories which will grab at your
heartstrings and refuse to let go. For a personal
autobiographical book, there is not a great deal of
Ephron herself in the text. Most of the essays involve
her family and her dog, or her friends, but not many zoom
in just on her. Everything is through the eyes of the
writer; not everything is about her. This is not
necessarily a bad thing, but if you're looking for a book
about Delia Ephron, this is not quite the one.
Ephron's wit bites sometimes, like in her essay "Am I
Jewish Enough?" in which she "accidentally" converts to
Christianity. Sometimes I find it too much, particularly
when Ephron is trying to pad the rough edges of a more
serious essay. Though it can be very humorous, it is too
heavy-handed for this type of book and it does it a
slight disservice.
On the whole, however, SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG is a
great, insightful piece about a woman's experience with
life, love, death, and the varying abilities of pet
psychics. This book will suit any Ephron fan, or anyone
who looks for a light nonfiction book to enjoy with their
coffee. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has
ever seen Sleepless in Seattle or Mixed Nuts; learning a
little about the authors will do wonders for your
appreciation of those movies. Next time you're looking
for a "true story" of a Hollywood personality, give
SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG a try.
Bestselling author Delia Ephron shares a deeply personal collection of stories and essays, anchored by a loving remembrance of her sister Nora. In Sister Mother Husband Dog, Delia Ephron brings her trademark wit and effervescent prose to a series of autobiographical essays about life, love, sisterhood, movies, and family. In “Losing Nora,” she deftly captures the rivalry, mutual respect, and intimacy that made up her relationship with her older sister and frequent writing companion. Other essays run the gamut from a humorous piece about love and the movies—how one romantic comedy completely destroyed her twenties—to the joy of girl friends and best friendship, the magical madness and miracle of dogs, keen-eyed observations about urban survival, and a serious and affecting memoir of life with her mother and growing up the child of alcoholics. Ephron’s eloquent style and voice illuminate every page of this superb and singular work.
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