in some ways a memoir and in others entirely fiction, sheila heti put every sentence of her decade of journals into alphabetical order, and selected sentences that tell a story (untethered from a linear narrative) of herself & her personhood, as a way to notice the patterns in her writing & her life. sheila heti's books have been either hits or misses for me, but ultimately i loved this one, even if at times i didn't totally get it. this would have been a book i'd have LOVED to analyze during my english degree, as i think there's a lot here to talk about, specifically in regards to the form of the book. 5 stars!

Alphabetical Diaries is, well, exactly what its title describes. The author, Sheila Heti, took 10 years worth of her own diaries and organized the sentences in alphabetical order. It has no plot and it does not tell a story. It is, like I said, simply a bunch of sentences from the author’s diary organized by sentences that start with the letter “a” to sentences that start with the letter “z” one by one.

I’ve never read a book like this. While there was no plot or theme I actually enjoyed it. I respect authors who take risks and approach their books with intense creativity. So I enjoyed Alphabetical Diaries purely because of how interesting and creative its concept is. Also it was interesting trying to figure out which sentences were connected to each other or included in the same diary entry as each other.

Even though I like it I won’t recommend this book. I won’t discourage reading it but there’s nothing about it that makes me think that you need to have it in your life. I usually prefer to wait until after I’ve written my own review of a book to read other people’s reviews but in this case I didn’t wait. And I saw that a lot of other people have given Alphabetical Diaries a ton of praise for reasons I personally didn’t see while reading it. I did like it but all I have to say is that I love the creativity and vulnerability.

Lastly I wish I’d read this as an ebook instead of as an audiobook and I strongly suggest that anyone who reads it not read it as an audiobook.

This one was a gem. It is a magical gem that makes me wish there were more letters in the alphabet so this beautiful collection of essays and prose could continue. I am beyond thankful to FSG, Sheila Heti, and Netgalley for audio and physical access to this beauty before it hits shelves on February 6, 2024.

Each essay is told alphabetically, so the first word of every sentence starts with the correct alphabetical letter in order. Throughout each passage, readers are transported into the life of our narrator, struggling to know themselves better while settling scores with romantic partners. Our FMC is also chronically befuzzled with anything related to writing and publishing her next book, for that's mentioned quite frequently in the text.

Statistically, the "I" chapter was longer than the "Z" chapter, but that's just because of how many sentences one could formulate starting with Z, or lack thereof.

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that is so pure and raw as this beautifully written as this. This book is completely uncensored. I enjoyed this story and loved the alphabetic structure. Overall, I thought this book was extremely heavy but highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a well written, thought provoking piece.
Kate Berlant did an excellent job as the narrator.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc copy!!

5 out of 5 Star

Alphabetical Diaries is great concept for how a nonfiction, that was enjoyable to read and easy to get through in one sitting.

An interesting literary experiment that definitely won't be for everyone but I quite enjoyed. Part memoir, part stream of consciousness ramblings organized alphabetically by the first letter in each sentence. Good on audio however I wish the author would have narrated the book herself. In it she discusses her fears, hopes, desires, anxieties, writing, career, relationships and so much more. Recommended for true Sheila Heti fans! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

i remember about a year or so ago, Cain's Jawbone was making the rounds on book socials, gaining notoriety for being a book that's completely out of order - pages meant to be pulled out and rearranged to accurately order the story.

heti's memoir here is much the same; alphabetical diaries is ten years of thoughts on career, money, sex, love, aging, motherhood, and her own reason for being and the paragraphs and diary entries are ripped apart at the seams, organized alphabetically.

if you're a heti fan, it's not going to surprise you that the writing itself here is lush and interesting - though she's writing about herself and her own life she does it in a way that makes the story she's telling feel like they're about you. with her, you feel lonely, you feel loved, you feel taken for granted, you feel fraught with the terror of choice, you feel your age, you feel ephemeral, but you feel eternal.

it was so fun for me to put the pieces together as the book went on. a sentence in the beginning spoke of her grandmother's death, a sentence chapters later states a mysterious "she" died of a blood clot; you can find the connections, but maybe the most interesting part of the puzzle for me is her discussions of love and sex, the assessments that surely came from such emotions, then trying to fit together the ways each story ended.

i loved this experimental format so much. sheila heti is a special writer.

4.5 (rounded up to 5) because i had to read the first chapter several times to vibe with the writing.

special shout out to kate berlant's audiobook narration - i'm going to have to look up to see if she's done even more.