The Book Bump

First Published: 2023
Author: Trish MacEnculty
Reading Language: English
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
My rating: 3/5

The Hummingbird Kiss narrates the story of Trish, an 18-year-old newlywed junkie who is constantly looking for her next fix, no matter the consequences, no matter the risks. It’s 1970s America. Heroin and Dilauids are available on nearly every street corner, and Trish always knows exactly where to score.

I don’t know what I expected from this, as the only other memoir I’ve read is Stephen King’s On Writing. This was also my first experience listening to an audiobook, which might have hindered my enjoyment of this book.

Through this memoir, the author tells her story, that is, being a drug addict in the 1970s. However, I couldn’t help but feel the narrative was disjointed and hard to follow.

The timeline could be a little clearer. Generally, the narrative follows onwards from Trish’s husband’s sentencing. However, there are some flashbacks, which I felt didn’t necessarily aid in telling this story.

The trouble I have with this book is I’m not entirely sure why I read it. It’s not a bad read, but there’s nothing remarkable about it either. The reader follows Trish as she falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, so to speak, wondering how far she has to fall before she decides to pick herself back up again.

As it’s a memoir, there is perhaps little room for fiction, but the author’s portrayal of her younger self in the book felt flat. Trish felt very one-dimensional, as did all the supporting “characters.” Perhaps this is how Trish truly lived her life in the 1970s, but I came to a point where I couldn’t help but ask myself why I was listening to this book. What was the point of this memoir?

There seemed to be no developmental arc. I imagined that considering the author wanted to share her story, she had some insight and wisdom to share. But I didn’t get the message. Maybe, as I’ve never struggled with addiction, I found it hard to relate to Trish’s experience.

As a reader, I would have liked Trish to include some hindsight into her life, perhaps how she may or may not have done things differently.

The most interesting part of the book is the end, when Trish finally must deal with her trauma.

The writing style is blunt, sometimes to the point of being crude, which is great for portraying the harsh world of drug addiction, but I found it hard to digest in large chunks.

And the dialogue felt very clunky and awkward. The discussion between characters rarely felt authentic.

Overall, I’d say I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise sounded promising, but something perhaps in the delivery lacked for my liking. As I mentioned, there’s nothing wrong with the book, but I still can’t help but wonder why I read it and what message the author wanted to convey.

I would like to thank the author for reaching out and offering me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.