Published earlier this month, Pageboy is Elliot Page’s hotly anticipated memoir. This is the first celebrity memoir I have read, and I was not disappointed. I had heard so much buzz surrounding this book, and when an eBook copy was available at my library, I swiped it up. I devoured this book in a matter of days.
In a memoir just shy of 300 pages, Page recounts his life with brutal honesty and lyrical prowess. Page jumps back and forth in time, from early childhood memories in Canada, filming blockbuster films in Hollywood, to his transition experience. Despite the often overload of information and the dizzying pace, this was an incredibly moving memoir.
Review:
This is a fast-paced work, where each page moves quickly through memories like the click of an old film projector cycling through photos. The structure of this memoir is not linear: each chapter is a very loose collection of thematic ideas and memories. While this can be confusing at times and hard to keep track of all the dates, it did not detract from my enjoyment. Out of all of the reviews I read, this was many readers’ main criticism, yet I enjoyed the unconventional structure.
Our life stories rarely follow a linear path. When we tell our stories to others, we skip around in time, lingering on some moments and speeding through others, making thematic connections as we speak. Page’s memoir is not neatly organized: it is messy and meandering but so real. The non-linear structure feels like you are sitting down and listening to Page recount his life over the course of a few hours.
My only criticism would be the information overload at some points. Descriptions of places or of people loosely tied into the story became tangents that were hard to reign back in. There was so much information about the history of certain locations in Canada that would have been fine to leave out.
I hope Page writes a fiction or poetry book because some of the sentences in this book are incredibly lyrical and beautiful. Page is a master of metaphors, employing such vivid and tactile imagery that I could feel every memory.
Page explores a range of emotions: from deepest pain to embarrassment to elation. The breadth of emotions adds to the sincerity. Yet, some of the moments were hard to get through. The abuse Page went through, from his stepmother to figures in Hollywood, coupled with his inability to speak up for himself, made this a difficult but necessary read.
Whether you are a lifelong fan of Elliot Page or just looking for a great read, Pageboy’s dazzling prose and poignant moments will resonate with you for a long time.
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