I was really excited to read this because I grew up in the same town as Anya. She recently reminded me we were in a theater class together and played female odd couple characters. So weird! I really enjoyed reading about Anya’s childhood to adulthood and her take on growing up between two worlds. She’s a beautiful writer and obviously very bright. I especially was loved by her chapter around her childhood surgery.

I can’t describe effectively why I find people’s family history so enticing. When I read how different the author’s families were I had to read it. Hill people and east coast posh produced Liftig. She writes the most about her Kentucky clan.
Parts are hysterical (her father and his bagpipes and many scenes with Mamaw) to just sad, mainly the author’s struggles with her issues.
I couldn’t relate at all to her performances; I found them bizarre.
I also couldn’t grasp why her grandmother would leave her mother such a twisted land problem when she had all the paperwork for the uncles.
It’s a different read, for sure.

I was intrigued by the story of Anya – her mother is from an area that I knew nothing about (the Holler which, in her case is rural Kentucky) and her father is from a Jewish family. While I knew this was a memoir I think I was hoping it was more about the juxtaposition of the Holler/Jewish aspects of her life – or as she calls it – being a Jewbilly; but the book is a more holistic memoir. I would say 50% is about being a Jewbilly and the rest is diving into her experiences of being middle class in a wealthy suburb, becoming a performance artist, living the life of a starving artist in NYC and living with her dysfunctional husband.

I would have enjoyed hearing more about her two families and the history of her Holler family (on which her father apparently has done extensive research). While the writing was good and I enjoyed the Holler descriptions and those where her family was part of the novel, I just wasn’t that personally invested in the life of a performance artist. I feel there was a missed opportunity here.

This was a 3.5 star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Abrams Press for the opportunity to review.

Well, the author is a performance artist. So, it may not be surprising that I found this to be very performtive. I didn’t finish this one.

Holler Rat is memoir at its absolute finest. Anya Liftig not only writes beautifully, but with a rawness and honesty that allows the reader to feel the push and pull of her childhood spent among the privilege and impoverished and understand how that duality shaped who she is as a human and an artist. Liftig deals with the ancillary issues of her upbringing as well as those of her mental health challenges head-on in a manner that is self-aware and insightful.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Holler Rat and provide an honest review.

LIftig is one who pushes boundaries with her performance art and deliberately makes people feel discomfort. This is reflected in her writing; the book has a few interesting family stories interspersed by disjointed episodes from a life that was at times lived with adventure and at other times with monotony and despair. However, the writing never delves deeply into the stories, at times even just listing what feels like random areas around her grandmother's home (a map would have greatly helped with this!) I felt held at arm's length throughout the book and disliked Anya, despite the fact that I am of similar age and have had many of the same experiences as she did, even down to a master's studying performance and having viewed many, many performance art pieces. It was also very disappointing that there were very few photographs included, despite a large part of the book explaining how the author aspired to be a professional photographer.

This is a tough book to rate. Overall I thought the writing was quite good and readable. The story Liftig told (her own) was compelling enough that it was often hard to put down and I applaud her bravery and vulnerability in sharing it. It also made me quite uncomfortable, especially near the end, which I feel confident was part of the point. That being said, I don’t know if I would recommend it to everyone. It’s a book that I would say has its readers, so if the premise sounds interesting, I encourage you to give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Press for the review copy.

Pub date: August 15, 2023

Anya crafted a beautiful memoir about her life. I enjoyed her personal account of growing up and the trials of different parenting than traditionally known. She's an excellent writer. Five stars! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.