‘An incredibly personal story … sad, but unbelievably funny’ – Claudia Winkleman, BBC Radio 2 Arts Show
‘This memoir is gasp-out-loud, offensively funny, touching and a sure thing for anyone who likes David Sedaris – but with more Mormons’ – Red
At twenty-five, Dan left his ‘spoiled white asshole’ life in Los Angeles to look after his dying parents in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother, who had already been battling cancer on and off for close to 15 years, had taken a turn for the worse. His father, a devoted marathon runner and adored parent, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease which was quickly eroding his body. Dan’s four siblings were already home, caring for their parents and resenting Dan for not doing the same.
Home is Burning tells the story of Dan’s year at home in Salt Lake City, as he reunites with his eclectic family -the only non-Mormon family of seven in the entire town – all of them trying their best to be there for the father who had always been there for them.
‘This memoir is gasp-out-loud, offensively funny, touching and a sure thing for anyone who likes David Sedaris – but with more Mormons’ – Red
At twenty-five, Dan left his ‘spoiled white asshole’ life in Los Angeles to look after his dying parents in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother, who had already been battling cancer on and off for close to 15 years, had taken a turn for the worse. His father, a devoted marathon runner and adored parent, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease which was quickly eroding his body. Dan’s four siblings were already home, caring for their parents and resenting Dan for not doing the same.
Home is Burning tells the story of Dan’s year at home in Salt Lake City, as he reunites with his eclectic family -the only non-Mormon family of seven in the entire town – all of them trying their best to be there for the father who had always been there for them.
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Reviews
A death in the family-the whole miserable and hilarious story, complete with all the gory mechanical details of grief, rage, drug binges, hostility, self-pity and more rage.
Both a touching memoir about the author losing both his parents, and the funniest fucking thing I've ever read-profane, self-aware, and ruthlessly honest. Dan Marshall might be a self-described 'spoiled white asshole,' but he's also a depraved comedic genius.
Horrible. Hysterical. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Just like life.
Intensely moving and very funny. The strength of this account is in the sardonic observations of family life and the unsentimental glue that binds the unit as the protagonists try to come to terms with a death they all know is imminent. Home is Burning is a deft piece of writing that captures the vicissitudes of family life whether in sickness or in health.
It's hard to imagine how a memoir about moving home to take care of your cancer-stricken mom and your dying dad could be fun to read, but Dan Marshall manages to pull it off. Equal parts hilarious and heart-breaking, Home is Burning proves that with family, tragedy always has company.
The literary love child of Dave Eggers and David Sedaris.
This memoir is gasp-out-loud, offensively funny, touching and a sure thing for anyone who likes David Sedaris - but with more Mormons.