The Actual One: How I Tried, and Failed, to Avoid Adulthood Forever

by Isy Suttie Narrated by Isy Suttie

Overview

A hilarious, razor-sharp debut memoir about the moment when you realize that your friends have all grown up and left you behind, for listeners of Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman, Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend This Never Happened, and Kelly Williams Brown's Adulting.

Isy Suttie wakes up one day in her late twenties to discover that the deal she'd struck with her friends, to put off growing up for as long as possible, had been entirely in her head. Everyone around her is suddenly into mortgages, farmers' markets, and going off the Pill, rather than running naked into the sea or getting hammered in a country pub with eighty-year-old men.

After a particularly crushing breakup precipitated by Isy's gifting of a human-size papier-mâché penguin to her boyfriend, her dearest friend advises Isy not to worry: the next guy she meets will be The Actual One.

Heartened by this promise, Isy decides to keep delaying the onset of adulthood, whether that means standing on the side of a highway in nothing but an old fur coat and sneakers, dating a man who speaks only in rhyme, or conquering her fears of Alpine skiing by wildly overestimating her athletic ability. Insightful and laugh-out-loud funny, The Actual One is an ode to the confusing wilderness of your late twenties, alongside a quest for a genuinely good relationship . . . or at the very least, a good story to tell.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/21/2016
Suttie’s debut memoir tackles what it’s like to be left behind when your friends take the leap to marriage, having babies, and buying houses—and you’re not sure you want to follow. After Suttie, a British comedian and writer, went through a difficult break-up with a longtime boyfriend, her newly pregnant friend, told her that getting “the one” out of the way just means she’s ready to find “the actual one.” Fighting the idea of coupling and adulthood, Suttie set out to enjoy her time as a single woman. As she narrates this experience, she shares her path from struggling as a comic and actress, making ends meet by working in a call center for a nearly bankrupt meal delivery service, to having her passion cover her living expenses. The reader gets to know Suttie through her stories of getting heckled off stage, drinking at pubs, and spending time with friends, all while trying to figure out her love life and the changes around her. Overall this is an entertaining read, but at times her stories fall flat, like they’re missing a punch line, and readers unfamiliar with British idioms may find that whole passages feel like reading a foreign language. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

The Actual One is a total delight: the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt frustrated and bewildered by the concept of “The One,” which is to say, probably just about everyone. Isy Suttie’s stories about dating, drinking, and disaster - sometimes all three at once - made me laugh out loud so often I annoyed the people in my immediate surroundings.” — Katie Heaney, author of Never Have I Ever and Dear Emma

“Suttie’s mix of human observation and self-examination makes her a cross between Lena Dunham and Victoria Wood. The Actual One is about the moment she realised all her friends were growing up, and the deal they’d all made to stay young for ever was only in her head.” — Sunday Times (London)

“A very funny look at trying to avoid adulthood.” — Stylist (UK)

“Witty, whimsical, and weird . . . Suttie’s writing style is light and creative, and both fans of this British comedian and readers looking for a smart, funny read will speed through her literary debut.” — Booklist

“An entertaining read.” — Publishers Weekly

Sunday Times (London)

Suttie’s mix of human observation and self-examination makes her a cross between Lena Dunham and Victoria Wood. The Actual One is about the moment she realised all her friends were growing up, and the deal they’d all made to stay young for ever was only in her head.

Katie Heaney

The Actual One is a total delight: the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt frustrated and bewildered by the concept of “The One,” which is to say, probably just about everyone. Isy Suttie’s stories about dating, drinking, and disaster - sometimes all three at once - made me laugh out loud so often I annoyed the people in my immediate surroundings.

Booklist

Witty, whimsical, and weird . . . Suttie’s writing style is light and creative, and both fans of this British comedian and readers looking for a smart, funny read will speed through her literary debut.

Stylist (UK)

A very funny look at trying to avoid adulthood.

Booklist

Witty, whimsical, and weird . . . Suttie’s writing style is light and creative, and both fans of this British comedian and readers looking for a smart, funny read will speed through her literary debut.

Kirkus Reviews

2016-10-11
How a British comedian and actress has tried to avoid growing up at all costs.When two of her friends announced they were having a baby, Suttie, whose Pearl and Dave radio show won a Sony Radio Academy Award, suddenly realized that those around her were beginning to grow up and that her life was inevitably going to change. To delay the process, she embarked on a series of escapades, which she relates here—e.g., swimming naked in the frigid ocean, creating a 5-foot-tall papier-mâché penguin, or dating a guy who speaks mainly in rhyme. Ultimately, of course, she did get older, her friends had the baby and moved into their own little house, and she was out of luck in finding the one true love of her life. Suttie recounts her various friendships and romantic relationships, including her stint with an Aussie who provided fun and sex without entanglement, and her work as a comic, which didn't pay well most of the time but provided a venue for her off-beat humor—e.g., "Christmas Day was the club sandwich it always is: thin layers of pleasure, primarily due to food or excitement about what to watch on TV, interspersed with rich slabs of ennui and bickering." The author's brief chapters are mostly humorous and contain at least a bit of oddball charm, exposing aspects of Suttie that few readers probably know. The author occasionally includes crudely drawn cartoons for emphasis, many (if not all) of which could have been omitted. There are some gems in this lightweight look at navigating the single world, but the book is mainly good for a quick laugh before moving on. For more depth, turn to Tig Notaro's I'm Just a Person (2016). Waggish entertainment on a single woman's search for a life partner.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170094752
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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