[Attenberg's] distinctive, personable voice, which shines on social media and in her writing-focused newsletters, gets a full-on outing here, with intimate glimpses of her youth.

Thrumming along underneath all this, animating the book, is Attenberg’s life’s organizing principle: the drive to become a writer. She brings to the subject her gifts as a novelist: a fierce impulse toward honesty, a companionably cranky voice and an interest in the complicated, bobbing and weaving ways in which people navigate their desires.

To say this book was a delight to read is putting it lightly. As a writer, I felt instantly connected to Attenberg’s notions.

I don’t mean it as a criticism when I say that Attenberg’s book has an untidy, artless structure. Yes, its narrative, which moves repeatedly back and forth in time, is often in danger of seeming repetitive, and perhaps it comes with one too many Zoom meetings.

All This Way often has a self-deprecating, look-back-and-laugh feel, as she recalls enduring the most absurd parts of her starving-artist days, from low-attended readings to the pushy boyfriend who surprised her with a sex toy.

... a paean to persistence.

The essays have little narrative throughline, thrusting us forward and back in time, touching on topics as disparate as couchsurfing to book reviews to the buildup and breakdown of relationships. The constant here is Attenberg herself, and the collection is all the stronger for it.

Isn’t the point of life to understand why we’re here and what we do, and aren’t we supposed to offer our talents to others while we’re here to make a better world? Yes, Attenberg would say. Absolutely. That is what makes this heartfelt memoir such an engaging read. It takes so much hard work and effort to be a writer in this world. The book talks about the importance of reading, the recognition that someone else’s hard-earned artistic exports can change your life—both as an artist and as a person. Isn’t it all connected anyway? The answer is a resounding yes.

Attenberg’s voice is equal parts wise auntie and wise-ass, sincere and profane.

As a writer, I appreciated the book for its insights into the creative process and how engagingly Attenberg found meaning in the world around her. The book has enough adventure that it has broad appeal for those looking to explore new horizons while staying safely at home.

[Attenberg] weaves together stories from her childhood with moments of raw self-examination and social critique in ways that pull her readers close to her, while always reminding them that they cannot truly share in the struggle, the fight that makes her stories so urgent.

Attenberg tends to make friends wherever she goes, which is no surprise given that her frank and charming writing creates an intimacy with the reader. A fantastic choice for those who love writers’ memoirs, such as Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel (2018), or an autobiographical ode to single ladies like Glynnis MacNicol’s No One Tells You This (2018)..

Devoid of both sentimentality and melodrama, this memoir gives away no great family secret; no sordid or intimate details of love affairs. But the stripped back prose, the factual relating, makes it all the more engaging. It’s so starkly real that although about a writer’s life, it will appeal to anyone who’s never made even a one-year plan or anyone who’s ever felt guilt about imposing on people.

... sparkling.

Attenberg offers fans of her fiction the opportunity to get to know her more intimately.