I loved seeing Jenny Slate in the movies Obvious Child and Landline, as well as her special appearance at the Just For Laughs Festival. As a fan, I was excited to read about her motherhood journey in her latest book Lifeform. In Lifeform, she dramatizes mundane events through humour and barely mentions anything about her Hollywood career. This is simply a book about a woman who finds love and has a baby girl, which makes her relatable.
In many ways, Jenny Slate is just like you. Her potential partners ghosted her instead of replying instantly. She wishes she could own pieces of her childhood home. She hates losing so much hair that looks like a hideous nest. And she loves eavesdropping on seniors while dining solo.
It’s clear that Jenny has a lot to say when she vents her frustrations through fictional letters to a doctor. Boundaries are a commonplace term in therapy, so it’s funny how Jenny is only confident and comfortable enforcing boundaries with her therapist. Likewise, I love how she tells her doctor, “I do not go on WebMD because I am afraid it will make me start to act crazy and as a woman I do not ever want to seem crazy!”
Jenny has a unique voice that lends itself to discussing the circle of life. I enjoyed reading about her single era the most. I wasn’t a huge fan of all the stork metaphors in the pregnancy section. But I loved the way she ended the book by writing about her grandmother and looking ahead with a graduation speech. It’s fun to see how one of my favourite comedians expresses herself and it’s perfect timing because I just completed the stand-up comedy class at Second City.
Disclosure: I was gifted a copy of Jenny Slate’s book Lifeform in exchange for a review. Thanks!
