Postcard Rex: Unreliable Narrator

Back in business

Hi, all.

I hope the nebulous transition between winter and spring is treating you well! It’s been a busy season, but there’s always time for new (and classic) books.

Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome, Aparna Nancherla

This was an entertaining read—a researched, heartfelt, and funny meditation on imposter syndrome (and other psychological conditions) by comedian Aparna Nancherla. When I went back to my notes, I found a lot of witty one-liners that made me simultaneously laugh and wince at their accuracy. I found it highly relatable, not in the trendy sense of mass appeal, but as an honest, incisive viewpoint on shared experiences. Ironically (or not?), you can see her imposter syndrome at work in the text through the frequent citations of other authors rather than relying on her own authority. (Although I’m all for citations in all kinds of writing.)

If you like it

Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country also makes me laugh out loud. Wharton is incredibly deft at character sketches, combining sly, skewering humor with empathy and pathos. An astute observer of class and place (as Nancherla is), Wharton can exquisitely describe the whiplash experiences of life, where ridiculousness and tragedy can chase each other’s heels.

If you don’t

In a very different style, E.M. Forster’s essay Anonymity—an enquiry made me chuckle while also delving seriously into the concept of authorial identity. It makes for an interesting companion to Nancherla’s questions about her own authority, authorship, and fame.

Things I’ve written lately

A history of art in hospitals, Wellcome Collection

House museums series: Eames House, Financial Times (first of many for this series!)

Frieze art fair arrives as LA galleries anticipate market shake-up, Financial Times (unpaywalled)

House museums series: Pearl S. Buck House, Financial Times

House museums series: Keats House, Financial Times

Things I’ve curated lately

Un|Housed: A History of Housing in Santa Monica, Santa Monica History Museum - a show on the architecture and inequities of housing (with a lovely review in the local paper).

From the Ground Up: The Life of Vernon Brunson, Santa Monica History Museum - a companion show featuring the life story and fascinating Space Age architectural plans created by a local building designer (featured on ABC7).

Both are open through December!