LITERATURE

The World's Largest Man

by Harrison Scott Key
Harper. May 2015. 352p. ISBN 9780062351494. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062351524. MEMOIR
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Confused by the sidewalks and the Boy Scouts, Key's father, Pop, moves the family from Memphis to Mississippi for a true country upbringing complete with guns and elaborately interwoven family trees. But Pop is disappointed to discover that his son is more interested in reading than hunting. Key is always looking for a new story, whether an enticing familial yarn or a good book to hide in his pants. What he ends up delivering is a hilarious portrait of what it means to grow up and build one's own story, yet never fully being able to separate oneself from the people and places that shape us. His account continues as he welcomes his own children into the mix, adding many layers to a heartwarming tale—but not too heartwarming because that would be, as his father would say, "sissy."
VERDICT Smart, funny, and wildly engaging, this personal narrative of a man's bumpy relationship with his upbringing and specifically his father is beyond relatable. It reads like fiction that is too crazy to be anything but truth. Fans of memoir, personal essays, and humor writing will devour this in one sitting.
Reviewed by Kaitlin Connors, Virginia Beach P.L. , Apr 16, 2015
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