28 Disastrous Dates: A (Mostly True) Humourous Memoir by Poppy Mortimer
I picked up the book being attracted by its promise, ‘humorous memoir’, and when I went through the book more surprises were waiting for me.
The author, who is a self-proclaimed humour addict, not only shares her experiences but also submits the lessons that she learnt from those encounters i.e. dating twenty-eight people. One after another she goes on to mention different guys whom she got the chance to meet, from Mr. Strongman to Fireman to Curry Man to others who were furnished with their oddities in this book. Most of the people she had met were from dating sites and some were from the cafeteria, the dance class, the local restaurant, the shrine, the rooftop bar, and many other sources. But unfortunately, every date failed.
We all encounter the same experiences in our lives. But we do not have the acumen to put those disastrous incidents in pen and paper with such a sunny temperament.
Humor trickles down every line and chapter of this book and the journey is wonderful on my part. The book is so gripping that I went on chuckling and laughing without being aware of what others were thinking about me.
Meeting different people and getting the chance to be acquainted with them gave the author enough scope to experience several types of personalities…mostly fake ones, whose profile pictures did not match real-life faces. How horrible she felt being cheated!
“Sir, you are an entirely different person than the one in your profile…” page 27
But the grave situations were managed with her tremendous sense of intelligence and agility of mind.
And one more thing to add regarding her journey is her escalating maturity. Her first date started at the age of twenty and then the last one at age 40 and eventually she gained maturity, insight, and the concept regarding her capabilities. The more she went through fake people she understood what qualities she expected in her life partner. The author not only learnt her lessons through her catastrophic dates, but we readers are also warned about such issues as fake identities, false profiles, and the risk of sexual harassment.
” Every disastrous date will lead you to know what you don’t want, which in turn leads you to know what you do want.” Page 4
Alvina’s Verdict:
I have no grievance against the book except one. It should have never ended. The series of real-life experiences peppered with humour and fun was such amazing entertainment for my heart that when I flipped the last page, I felt heartbroken to let it go. I rate the book 5 out of 5 with pleasure. The book is edited professionally. The cover page is catchy.
The streaks of humour are so wonderfully wrapped throughout her catastrophic dates that I am confused about what to feel…to be sad for her or just enjoy the episodes like a selfish reader. This book provides fresh air in my hectic schedule of everyday life. What a weird subject but how artistically she arranges her dishes! I also love the way she named the people she met like Mr Camel Lover, Mr Ancient Baby, Mr Third Wheel, Mr Tikka Masala etc. And I feel elated when the author encourages my status of being single, “…you can still lead a happy, fulfilled life as an amazing single person.” Page 5
The book also talks about women’s empowerment and how a woman should stand up for herself. I also meet numerous people with their peculiar thoughts and attitudes. While someone is obsessed with his penis, some other is infatuated with his pet.
