Lit Review: ‘I Was Told There’d Be Cake’ & ‘How Did You Get This Number?’

Tags | discuss, How Did You Get This Number?, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, literature reviews, new york city writers, ny writers, nyc, Read, Sloane, Sloane Crosley

Over lunch several weeks ago, my girlfriend KG exclaimed ‘Guess who I am going to meet tonight?’

To which I replied, ‘Who?’ {…inner monologue screaming Madonna, Britney, Leonard Nimoy}

‘Sloane Crosley,’ KG replied excitedly.

‘Ohhhh,’ I answered vacantly. {No idea, folks. No idea.} But turns out this lovely had written a few books – one about cake and one with a bear on the cover. As KG expressed her love for Sloane’s wit and honesty, I realized here was an author that should make her way to my list. Lo and behold, a few days later I had both books from KG … ‘signed, sealed, delivered … I’m yours!’

I decided to read her second novel first because, truth be told, I normally like to read things backwards, i.e. magazines, contracts, etc. I do not know why and it is not very beneficial, but alas, I do it. Well, dear friends, I was hooked from the dedication page alone:

‘To my parents. For Everything.*

*Everything except the two week period in 1995 directly following the time you went to Ohio for a wedding and I threw a party in the house, which is the most normal thing a teenage American can do, aside from lie about it, which I also did, and Mom eyed me suspiciously for days, morphing into a one-woman Scotland Yard, marching into my bedroom with a fistful of lint from the dryer to demonstrate that I had mysteriously washed all the towels, and then she waited until we were in a nice restaurant to scream, “Someone vomited on my couch, I know it!” and Dad took away my automotive privileges straight through college so that I spent the subsequent four years likening you both to Stasi foot soldiers, confined as I was to a campus-on-the-hill when I could have been learning to play poker at the casinos down the road and making bad decisions at townie bars. I think we can all agree you overreacted. For everything except that, I am profoundly grateful. I have only the greatest affection for you now. Also: I vomited on the couch.’ {HDYGTN}

Nevermind the fact that her initial sentence is 157 words long – that in and of itself is something I was truly impressed with – but she also talks like I think. Some of her stories are better than others, but overall the stories are quick, friendly reads and she has a couple of killer one-liners:

‘Uniqueness is wasted on youth. Like a fine wine or a solid flossing habit, you’ll be grateful for it when you are older.’ {IWTTBC}

‘The lies we construct to defend ourselves from humiliation are the strongest, resfusing to be torn down.’ {HDYGTN}

I was taken in by her honesty, conversational writing style, and to tell the truth – her learning disability because I have never heard of it before. I loved her stories about her childhood pets, her roommate stories, and the feelings she had before giving notice for leaving her first job. I do not want to go too in depth and ruin the read, {I know some of you are going to rush out to buy/read after my glowing recommendation} but if you did/do happen to read this I would love to discuss! What do you think of Sloane’s recollections?

WONDERPUG RATING:

{PS: Support my girl KG in her DamonRunyon Cancer run!! I did. Give a little, give a lot, give hope. Thank you!}