What would you do if the man you grew up idolizing turned out to be a fraud? How would you feel if you learned that everything you knew about your dad was a total lie?In The Impostor's Daughter, Laurie Sandell details a childhood full of too-good-to-be-true stories from her seemingly impressive father, her attempts to cut through the BS and how it all affected her trek into adulthood and her eventual career as a magazine writer (for Glamour). Let's just say it was peppered with lesbian seduction, questionable career moves and some crazy overseas adventures (not to mention the relationship and health issues she later developed).
I know what it's like to grow up with a parent who borders on delusional and refuses to admit it, but Sandell's father was completely off his rocker! I found the role her mother took on particularly interesting. I guess it's easier to turn a blind eye than to stir up the dust and confront someone you love.
And even with all these family issues surrounding Sandell and the heartbreaking revelations about a man she'd put on a pedestal, she manages to tell her story with such humor and heart. Surely time and therapy - as well as getting this story out of her system - have served her well.
I'm a speed reader so I wish I had spent more time looking at each panel; the graphics are absolutely wonderful. I'm not going to analyze that bit. It was just a fun book visually, but I was too engrossed in Sandell's family scandals. I couldn't wait to see what she'd uncover next! (Clearly this book catered to my nosiness and what makes it all the more fascinating is that it's true.)
I found the ending a bit sudden - almost insufficient - but I'm sure this is a story that's yet to reach closure in real life. Or maybe her family reached it after the book was published. Never the less it was a great read that had me at "whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped."
Image: littlebrown.co.uk