Little Weirds

With this collection of short essays, Slate (coauthored with Dean Fleischer-Camp, “Marcel the Shell” picture books) paints a self-portrait of, as she tells herself, “all the little weirds that make up who you are.” The resulting amalgam of prose comprises doubt and exuberance, examining self-concept, gender roles, and everything that makes the author a unique human. The overall portrait depicts Slate opening herself up to life, drinking in as much of it as possible, and relating fully to a world with all its joys, disappointments, and everything in between. Those familiar with Slate’s previous works will recognize her slightly askew perception and delightful way of reframing the familiar. Here she has full rein with language, and her style is less precise than fulsome, throwing lots of things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Her subject is her whole self but fragmented, in her words, “a weird party for a woman who has returned from grief,” both vulnerable and moving, a party even non-partygoers might like to attend.