Review: Bomb Shelter: Love, time & Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott (audio)

Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio

Published: April 12, 2022

Source: Print – ARC E-copy via Netgalley / Audio – ALC via Simon & Schuster Audio

 

Summary:

From the bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink comes a poignant and powerful new memoir that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope.

A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side, too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe.

Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound—and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can’t know for sure what’s coming next?

Leave it to the writer whose critically acclaimed debut had us “laughing and crying on the same page” (NPR) to illuminate what it means to move through life with a soul made of equal parts anxiety and optimism (and while she’s at it, to ponder the mysteries of backyard turtles and the challenges of spatchcocking a turkey).

Hailed by The Washington Post as “Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one,” Philpott returns in her distinctive voice to explore our protective instincts, the ways we continue to grow up long after we’re grown, and the limits—both tragic and hilarious—of the human body and mind.

 

My thoughts:

This was a bookclub pick for Zibby’s Virtual Bookclub and while I ended up having to miss the discussion, I’m so glad I picked this book up. I really enjoyed this collection of essays and will definitely be seeking out more books by this author.

I will say that while most of this book focuses on caring for your children and I do not have any, I still found myself relating to this book so don’t let that deter you from picking this one up. It could be caring for anyone, whether that be your child, your parents or even your significant other or yourself. There were just so many little tidbits of wisdom peppered throughout this book that I know I will be going back to and while I did listen to this one – and loved that it is indeed narrated by the author herself, which is always my favorite in these cases – I have a feeling I am going to end up picking up a hard copy so I can refer back to certain passages. This one for instance really spoke to me:

Everyone has something. And most things aren’t so bad…you don’t get to choose what your thing is, whether you get just one thing or more or how your thing will respond to your efforts to manage it. And no matter how willingly you accept that about yourself, your compliance with fate doesn’t earn you any say in anyone else’s thing either. Not even your own child’s.

I can’t tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this one – especially during the meditation scene – but then the author would write something so profound, I would have to stop and really think about it. I love that and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

 

Audio thoughts: 

As I mentioned, this book is narrated by Mary Laura Philpott and I felt she was really the perfect choice. She made listening to this book feel like I was having a conversation, though she did all the talking. I hope she narrates all her books because if she does, that is definitely the route I’ll be taking!