TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE

In this debut memoir, stand-up comedian Love describes coming of age in a devoutly religious household.

As the lonely child of a single, hard-drinking mother in the early 1970s, the author says that she found refuge in TV shows such as Dark Shadows and I Love Lucy: “To me, laughter, sadness, fear, love and joy were all on the same dramatic playing field, but comedy delighted me the most. I lived to make my mother laugh and would spare nothing to attain my goal.” Everything changed, however, when Love was 9 and her mother, who’d long struggled with depression, committed suicide. The author moved in with her adult sister and her family, who were Jehovah’s Witnesses and expected Love, who hadn’t been raised in a religion, to adopt their faith as her own. She was forced to leave the vampires of Dark Shadows behind and learn the tenets of her new religion; her sister promised Love that she would someday be reunited with their mother in paradise. As the author grew older, she says, the strictures of her family life and religious community—which she characterizes as a cult—took an increasing toll; she also alleges sexual abuse by a fellow churchgoer when she was a teenager. In this memoir, Love effectively explores how the traumas of her youth and upbringing gave rise to her decision to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. She’s a talented storyteller, breaking her life into vignettes that highlight the humor, tragedy, and absurdity of her childhood: “In a gift of independence, I was given a choice of carpet for my bedroom. I looked through the pile of samples and made my choice: all of them! I would have a mosaic masterpiece of color to define my new space.” Love doesn’t hide her emotions, however, offering readers a narrative voice that will keep readers engaged and sympathetic. Many will likely see a bit of themselves in the young author—particularly those who’ve left behind religions of their youth.

A bighearted personal story about the creation of an artist.