This Can't Be Normal

This Can't Be Normal by Diana Estill

When one experiences a moment of introspection and delves deeply into his or her past, there can only be something similar to an implosion within the general zeitgeist of a time that can never be repeated. It is the mind's own ceremonial expungement of the past that stubbornly holds on. This can be something that happened anywhere from five minutes to fifty years past.

Such is the humorous and dramatic sequence of events that makes up This Can't Be Normal.

The author, Diana Estill, grants the reader a peek at certain pieces of her life as only she can narrate. Don't be fooled, this is not a run-of-the-mill, sappy, lesson learned autobiography. It is a quirky, detailed compilation of life stories that holds elements of tribute, community, reinvention and epiphany.

"And even after I’d turned around, I had to travel a long distance in the opposite direction before I could make another U-turn and retrieve my disgruntled passenger. What if he thumbs a ride with a trucker, gets picked off by some nut case, and I have to explain my way out of a murder rap?"

As the story unfolds, Estill offers a special look at her own family and friends, that causes a touching moment for the reader, allowing everyone into intimate parts of her own life for a short period of time.

"Hubby squinted and looked at the recipe card. 'Yep, it says two cups.' He blended the ice cream and then gave me a bowl filled with what looked like frozen baby poop... I studied the disaster and made a face. Then I scooped a teaspoonful of his creation into my mouth. It tasted like chocolate spinach with a mild fruitiness and a hint of Bermuda grass."

This book is a scathingly honest articulation of a southern woman and her insight into the layers and layers of the soulful dynamics of married life, child rearing, and social interaction; all wrapped up and, to a large degree, depicting emotional nuance.

Estill, by far, holds an incredible voice within her writing. The central theme remains concrete, whilst the story continues to multiply and jump from one scene to the next. This Can't Be Normal is a quick read, full of simple, engaging stories that beset meticulously complex meanings. The essential affection and altruism within the average American family is not lost here. It is celebrated.

This Can't Be Normal by Diana Estill, 2013 ebook