Idiots

March 28, 2022
“I’ve already told you the exciting stories from my drug-fueled life.... Now all I do is breastfeed little aliens and go to bed at 9:30 p.m.,” writes comedian Clery (Idiot) in this funny, crude collection. In “Come Inside My Vagina,” she recounts livestreaming her first birth on Facebook in her customary raunchy humor: “between that and my second birth, over 82 million people have seen my punani—and I don’t even have an Only Fans.” “Oh, the Places I’ve Pooped” strikes a wistful note: “I wish more people talked about the ups and downs of parenting, and about what it’s really like”; while “Did I Marry a Narcissist?” is a look at Clery and her husband’s challenges with addiction and maintaining sobriety, including “the hardest story I ever had to tell” about infidelity. While Clery alludes to her son’s autism diagnosis, it’s not until the final essay that readers learn more of the story, which Clery writes about movingly: “I knew we needed to stop worrying and start helping him immediately.” Clery is full of wit and can turn a colorful phrase, but it’s the book’s quiet moments of introspection and the author’s commitment to live a better life that hit home. Clery’s fans won’t want to miss this. Agent: Larry Shapiro, Ensemble Digital Studios.