Matt McAvoy Book Review

Joy is a genuine breath of fresh air, who presents her musings on life in Southern California and shares her experiences on every subject, in the most candid and honest fashion.  So Drunk… appears to be a collation of what is surely her best work as a blogger and journalist. 

I have to admit, though, that its appeal may not be universal.  I'm not sure of Joy's age, but the content of many of these articles will very likely be somewhat alien to the majority of readers over the age of 40.  I understand the common belief that Californians are slightly different from your average Gen-X/millennial inbetweener, in that they live in a far more open and progressive bubble – in which the online world is not an extension, but rather the foundation of their everyday lives – but still I think that readers in the latter bracket generally, universally, will understand and relate a great deal more to her anecdotes and observations than their more mature counterparts.  For example, she lives for dating (at least for the purposes of the relevant sections of this book), and mostly online, whereas older readers have a more organic approach to meeting people.  She talks about negotiating toxic friendships, the normality of casual sex as a pastime, and preparing for an online career.  Furthermore, she discusses all of these things with confidence and assuredness that they are objectively a general way of life.  I don’t know about that, being a few years older.  Of course, it's easy to judge or to pity other generations, and also offensive, so I want to make it clear that it's not my intention to do that; my point is simply that readers above that age group might really struggle to relate to some of the concepts in this book, which I believe to be generationally relevant. 

I should state at this point that I like Joy very much; she seems like a genuinely good-hearted person with a strong ethical compass.  Additionally, she is a fantastically engaging author, and I genuinely hope she has achieved, or will achieve, the recognition she deserves in this respect.  I'm not sure how qualified she is to give some of the life advice she does, but then again, the very fact that this thought crossed my mind is actually, in a way, even more praise of her credentials, for the simple reason that such a talented, educated, articulate and clearly well-informed professional instils in us the instinctive impression that she should know those things.  We therefore need to remind ourselves at times that what we are reading is the subjective works of an opinionated (and very funny) young woman.  However, it should also be borne in mind that there are some quite heartbreaking subject areas discussed, including bullying, racism, and no less than the horrific risks that women face in today's world.  I hope she stays safe, and that she is stronger because of some of her worst experiences at the hands of other very nasty people.

All in all, though, the book is a triumph, and an eye-opener for so many different reasons.  Perhaps more importantly, though, is that it is great fun to read.  Joy may not be too interested in the opinion of those readers, like myself, who don’t really fall into her target demographic (i.e., slightly younger) – then again, I certainly don’t want to make any assumptions about her objectives; she may just as well want the book to appeal to as many readers as possible.  I do think that, regardless of some of the opinions you will undoubtedly form about Joy and her life experiences, you will enjoy reading her wonderful writing and the company of her lovely personality.