Image Source: Unsplash- ŞULE MAKAROĞLU
Break-ups are very rarely graceful, and writer Annie Lord knows this better than most. In her beautifully written memoir ‘Notes on Heartbreak’, the Vogue columnist turns her private life and the turbulent end to her relationship into a bittersweet romance story. The memoir discusses how a relationship doesn’t just end when you hear the words ‘It’s over’. It turns it into something remarkably articulate, intimate, and laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Despite its early grievances, it unfolds into a sharp exploration of love, identity, and the strangely addictive drama that is most commonly associated with ending a romance, and one in which most can relate to.
Lord writes as though she is texting a close friend, very candid, quite self-deprecating, and often chaotic. But emotionally, the novel reads like when a good night out is over, and you know the feeling won’t come back again.
She manages to capture the small humiliations and the comforts that are often considered within post-breakup life. This includes obsessing over and reading back through old messages, writing down the what-ifs on a piece of paper, finding significance in strangers’ faces, as well as trying (and failing) to become the version of yourself your ex might regret losing.
Her honesty is purely raw, but never too bleak; it’s heartbreak with a sweet cookie on the side, humor and self-pity mixed with self-awareness.
What I find really makes the memoir stand out amongst others I have read in this category is the storytelling involved. She paints a picture of a 5-year timeline, growing together, breathing together, and rejecting each other’s love. It refuses to become what a lot of self-help memoirs tend to do, which is offering advice on how to win back your partner, or how to become attractive after losing the one you love.
This memoir’s intentions are true to purpose- it is a list of notes, revelations, and stories to allow a reader to envision a couple’s journey from heartbreak to their first meeting.
Lord simply doesn’t pretend that she has moved on perfectly from this romance; in fact, we are almost rooting for her, as the biggest part of learning to heal from something traumatic, is to grow with the pain and not let it define you completely, even when you hold it so close to your heart.
‘Notes on a Heartbreak’ is a reminder that falling apart can be formative, and even as romantic as falling in love.
An extremely witty, relatable, and painfully human, Annie Lord turns emotional disaster into something oddly satisfying and glamorous. It is a glittering ode to feeling too much and surviving it all, no matter how bad it feels.
This was written by our contributing writer, Megan Evans.
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