I’m delighted to take part in the blog tour for the paperback of Fern Brady’s brilliant memoir, ‘Strong Female Character’.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Octopus Books for inviting me on to the tour and for my copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
From the Publisher:
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘I tore through this hilarious, smart, sad, revealing book’ – Bob Odenkirk
‘Funny, sharp and has incredible clarity’ – Jon Ronson
‘An absolute riot. I’m literally going to read it again once I’ve finished, and I’m a miserable bastard…it’s a belter’ – FRANKIE BOYLE
‘A set text for all of us in 2023’ – DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE
A summary of my book:
- I’m diagnosed with autism 20 years after telling a doctor I had it.
- My terrible Catholic childhood: I hate my parents etc.
- My friendship with an elderly man who runs the corner shop and is definitely not trying to groom me. I get groomed.
- Homelessness.
- Stripping.
- More stripping but with more nervous breakdowns.
- I hate everyone at uni and live with a psycho etc.
- REDACTED as too spicy.
- After everyone tells me I don’t look autistic, I try to cure my autism and get addicted to Xanax.
- REDACTED as too embarrassing.
‘Fern’s book, like everything she does, is awesome. Incredibly funny, and so
unapologetically frank that I feel genuinely sorry for her lawyers.’ – PHIL WANG
‘Of course it’s funny – it’s Fern Brady – but this book is also deeply moving and
eye-opening’ – ADAM KAY
‘It made me laugh out loud and broke my heart and made me weep…I hope
absolutely everyone reads this, and it makes them kinder and more curious
about the way we all live’ – DAISY BUCHANAN
‘Glorious. Frank but nuanced, a memoir that doesn’t sacrifice voice or selfawareness. And it has brilliant things to say about being autistic and being
funny’ – ELLE MCNICOLL
‘Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge.’ – Rachael Healy, The Guardian
‘Fern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique
story. Astute, honest and very, very funny.’ – LOU SANDERS
‘So funny and brilliant’ – HOLLY SMALE
‘Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, Strong Female Character is a necessary
corrective. Brady offers a compelling, messy, highly resonant portrait of what
masked Autism feels like.’ – Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism
My Review:
I was so glad I was invited onto the blog tour for this book – I’d picked it up a few times in bookshops and weighed up whether it would be too sad, too challenging, too harrowing for me. I know Fern Brady is a comedian, but still…
It is sad, challenging and harrowing…but it is also very funny, important and shocking (in a good way).
I did know that autism in women and girls is often overlooked or misdiagnosed, but I hadn’t really considered the full impact of this on the families involved. I am very grateful to Fern Brady for highlighting this huge issue through her own experiences – and for doing it in such a readable and engaging way.
The book opens with Brady trying to tell her dad about her new diagnosis of autism – a diagnosis that she had battled to get against doctors who dismiss her self-diagnosis on the basis that she can maintain eye contact and has boyfriends. However, this ignores the other things that Brady is certain is indicative of autism – the ruining of family holidays, the angry smashing up of things, the misinterpreted traits. Her dad’s reaction is both frustrating and humorous…as well as giving an indication where Brady’s autism could be inherited from.
However, the diagnosis is really just the start of Brady’s story. It’s through this lens that she can now tell and explain (to herself, as well as us readers) the rest of her experiences. There’s an anger and a brutal honesty in the telling – but never self-pity – and Brady narrates some shocking and awful experiences with dark humour throughout.
It’s fair to say that Brady’s life has taken an unconventional route – as hinted by the blurb for the book (above). There’s stories of self-harm and a teen psychiatric unit, some very matter-of-fact stripping, a shocking sexual encounter, Xanax addiction and lots of misunderstandings along the way. All this sounds traumatic and desperately sad, but Brady’s writing this from a stronger place – so it is also a relief that she has such levels of self-awareness and understanding.
And it is – as I’ve said – very funny. Shocking and eye-opening, but funny too.
I loved the frankness with which Brady tells of her own experiences – and, through this, explains the traits and consequences of autism in women. Her life is in no way typical of anyone’s experience – autistic or otherwise – but it does allow her to shine a spotlight on various aspects of living with autism, the problems with getting diagnosis, and the impact on family and romantic relationships. I really loved the way that Conor (Brady’s boyfriend) explained things to her – it really underlined the fact that autism is constantly navigating a world that you don’t understand. He sounded awesome, but it’s a situation that’s understandably exhausting for Brady and other autistic women.
I read this book in a day – Brady’s narrative voice is compelling and I was hooked on her story from the start. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to understand living with autism as a woman – or just anyone who loves a well-written and engaging memoir.
About the Author:
Fern Brady is a woman. She is also autistic. She was born in Scotland (no, not Glasgow). She has no presets for being a ‘good woman’ – she never hated her body or indulged in messy millennial shame. She now lives out of wedlock in London. She has zero children.
Fern’s caustic wit, exceptional writing and electric stage craft has made her one of the UK’s hottest comedy stars. As seen on Live from the BBC, Live from the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour, and Live at the Apollo. She’s had viral success with her BBC Life Lessons and supported Frankie Boyle and Katherine Ryan on tour. She can currently be seen on Taskmaster on Channel 4.
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