Sometimes you can tell a book by its cover. The cover of “You Better Not Cry” is the backside of Santa, with pants off and coat open, flashing the body of the book. If this offends you, you might not want to read this book.
Comparisons with David Sedaris are obvious. Besides both being gay men of a similar era from the South, the essay styles are markedly different. Augusten has a family that makes most of our “dysfunctional” families look like The Walton’s. His mother is severely mentally ill, the dad a raging alcoholic. (I tried to read his memoir, “Wolf at My Table,” but couldn’t finish after the opening scene of his father literally attempting to murder him at age 10). His older brother is reclusive and later revealed to have Asperger’s.
These are heartbreaking series stories of Christmas, but there is beauty in the telling. The first stories are of Augusten as a child, confusing Santa with Jesus. He makes the worst gingerbread house ever, and bites off the life-sized Santa’s face that his grandparents brought the family. Then he recounts stories of greed, desire, and hope for things on this famed day of the year.
I’ve never read such a heartbreaking account of falling in love at first sight. The story of George, his subsequent struggles with the their relationship, and HIV, are devastatingly real. There is a story of sleeping with Santa and waking up horrified. Finally, there is the Christmas flood story, which I believe is the most recent. The unifying theme is that nothing is ever perfect on Christmas, or in life. The “mistakes” are what make our lives challenging and memorable.
This is a quick, funny and surprisingly enlightening read. If you are not easily offended, I recommend making reading it a Christmas tradition.
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