STRIP

Sward describes an exceedingly difficult life stained by neglect and abuse of all kinds.

The author opens her debut memoir with vignettes written in a child's voice narrating her childhood in Victoria, British Columbia. Her father was the poet Robert Sward (1933-2022), whom her mother left to raise her on her own when the author was 2. Sward writes about how, as early as age 6, she was molested more than once by strangers; these incidents and other awful experiences haunted her into adulthood. In brief chapters with titles like "Threesomes and Cocaine," "Foot Fetish Work," and "The Iranian Sugar Daddy," Sward relates one anecdote after another in straightforward, declarative sentences: work at a strip club; unhealthy relationships and living situations, short-term jobs at a yoga studio and a law school; appointments with clients of her escort service; and a lengthy struggle with meth addiction. While Sward’s narrative style, which also includes absurdity and dark humor, effectively conveys the alienation and emotional damage caused by these experiences, the author doesn’t offer enough in-depth reflection or synthesis to create a lasting impact. For similar reasons, the many supporting characters aren’t fully fleshed out. Chronicling how her mother eventually returned to her life as a positive force, the author writes, "I don’t know how it happened or why, but during that visit my mom and Peter said if I wanted to go back to college, they would pay for it. I couldn’t believe it, and I also couldn’t believe that since my mom was with Peter she was more like a mom." Here—and at many other points in the story—readers will wish for deeper revelation from an author who has clearly been through hell and come out on the other side.

Though the subject is intriguing and Sward has a good eye for detail, the book is short on insight.