A Drink Called Wit

Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea

Written by: Chelsea Handler

Released: September 30, 2007 by Regan Books

Summary: When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power - vodka. You would too if you found out that your boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo or if you had to pretend to be honeymooning with your father in order to upgrade to first class. Welcome to Chelsea's world - a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defence.

In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her... only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candour and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.

Ok, I’m sure that the vast majority of her books are complete lies that reflect how much of an amazing storyteller she is, and I couldn’t care less. This book made me laugh out loud, which wasn’t always a good thing since I read a lot of it while I was at work.

If you’re easy to offend, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you but if you want something that’s going to make you laugh so hard that tears come to your eyes, then this is the book for you.

I loved how it chronicled Handler's so-called life and how she was able to put such a spin on the simplest concepts that your brain takes a moment to fully catch up… or catch on. I also liked how each chapter was more of short story, as opposed to having the chapters signifying just a passing of pages or a change of character voice. It made reading it so much easier because I knew that I could finish at least one chapter during my breaks at work and that when I stopped it wouldn’t be right in the middle of the climax or a huge action scene. Plus, it made it so that I always had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next; each chapter was a complete surprise.

So, if you think that this book is for you, you should go and check it out. I highly recommend it and I’m giving it a high 8/10. Also, check out Handler’s other book Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, which I think is even just a little bit better than this one!