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Mary McCarthy was an incredibly delightful writer, and I had an insatiable appetite for reading her works on almost any topic. However, what makes this memoir of her early life truly remarkable is the richness bestowed upon it by its structure. In this volume, McCarthy gathered a collection of autobiographical essays that she penned in the late 1940s and 1950s. She then skillfully wove them together with some connective tissue, which consisted of notes to the reader. In these notes, she not only commented on the content but also ruminated on the imprecise and unreliable nature of memory. As a result, the book presents three distinct Mary McCarthys to the reader. There is the schoolgirl who is the subject of the memoir, the memoirist who is writing about her past self, and the commentator who observes with a certain distance and perhaps more objectivity. These three aspects can be seen as a sort of id, ego, and superego respectively, adding depth and complexity to the overall narrative. This unique structure allows the reader to gain a more comprehensive understanding of McCarthy's early life and the different perspectives she brings to bear on her own experiences. It makes for a truly engaging and thought-provoking read.
