Samantha Irby meets Bettyville in this darkly funny and poignant memoir about love, loss, Alzheimer’s, and reviving her father’s pornographic writing career from Mortified writer and producer Sara Faith Alterman.

12-year-old Sara enjoyed a G-rated existence in suburban New England, filled with over-the-top birthday cakes, Revolutionary War reenactments, and nerdy word games invented by her prudish father, Ira. But Sara’s world changed for the icky, when she discovered that Ira had been shielding her from the truth; that he was a campy sex writer who’d sold millions of books in multiple languages, including the wildly popular ‘Games You Can Play with Your Pussy.’ Which was, to the naive Sara’s horror, not a book about cats. For decades the books remained an unspoken family secret, until Ira developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease…and announced he’d be reviving his writing career. With Sara’s help.

In this cringeworthy, hilarious, and moving memoir, Sara shares the profound experience of discovering new facets of her father; once as a child, and again as an adult. ‘Let’s Never Talk About This Again’ is a must-read confessional from a woman who spent years trying to find humor in the perverse and optimism in the darkness, and succeeded.

Review:

Genuine, affecting, and compassionate!

Let’s Never Talk About This Again is a touching, tender memoir that delves into the special relationship between Sara and her family members, as well as the complex dynamic shift that occurs between her father, Ira, and herself as he ages, reveals secret writings, seeks employment in a technology-fueled world, and eventually suffers the debilitating and devastating effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s. 

The prose is heartfelt and warm. And the novel is an often funny, sincere tale of one woman’s personal experience supporting and caring for her parents in the best way possible while living across the country and planning for a family of her own.

Overall, Let’s Never Talk About This Again is an honest, entertaining, lovely tale by Alterman that reminds us that the most important things in life are loving large, sharing moments, and remembering all the special times.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.