Book Review: The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell

Laurie Sandell lived her life firmly believing that her father was a brilliant, exciting man who was more accomplished than anyone else she would ever know. When she was 31 years old, she realized that every single thing her father ever told her was a complete lie. In 2003 she wrote an article for Esquire magazine, My Father the Fraud. Although she wrote the article anonymously, the first time she met with her agent who had read the story, she was interested in selling the book. Fast-forward to July 2009 and The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir was published.

Laurie Sandell has been cartooning since she was 7 years old, so it makes sense that while Sandell is a writer whose articles have appeared in Esquire, GQ, Glamour (which she still holds a writing contract with), New York, Real Simple and InStyle, that her memoir would be more eccentrically her own--taking on the form of a graphic novel, or "graphic memoir" as she chooses to describe it.

When a girl's father is a frequent and positive presence in her life, a large number of daughters have complete and utter adoration for their fathers. Coming from a single father household myself, I know the feeling of having your father placed atop a very high pedestal; when the time comes when you suddenly realize your father is human, it can have a pretty drastic effect on your life. Laurie Sandell opens up about the adoration she had for her father all her life quite a bit. She grew up hanging on every syllable her father uttered to her growing up; from his stories about being a former Green Beret, to having studied law at NYU and receiving his PhD from Columbia University, and to serving as an economist and adviser to Henry Kissinger, Laurie wanted to hear her father tell her about his life and his accomplishments all the time; she could never get enough of it. It wasn't until Laurie was in college when she applied for her very first credit card when she realized she already had one. She soon found out that her father had taken out several loans and credit cards not only in her name, but in the names of everyone else in her household as well. In addition to not only ruining her credit, she soon after realized that every single story she was told by her father was a lie--that the life he had presented to her was full of lies.

It's easy to see that Laurie did pick up a few things from her father, taking on multiple roles in her own life. The difference however, is that the stories Laurie can share with the people in her life and in her writing and cartooning are very, very real. She spent four years exploring the world, traveling to Israel, Japan, Jordan, Paris, Mexico, Egypt and Thailand. She took on many roles, including being a stripper in Tokyo, seducing a woman in Israel and forming an addiction to Ambien. This addiction sent her in a downward spiral and ultimately landed her in rehab, which was suggested to her by a woman we all know of who Sandell had interviewed for Glamour magazine and who ended up becoming a good friend of hers--Ashley Judd. On her travels, Sandell pieced together pieces of her father's life, met members of his family whom he had alienated himself from years prior and she saw as much of his "big picture" as she could.

I could not stop reading The Impostor's Daughter. I opened it, started reading and did not put it down until the next morning when I was completely finished. I have read the book twice, both times taking me no more than two sittings and during the first time, I carried it with me everywhere--including the bathroom.

Sandell's story is one that I hadn't seen told before, especially not in the manner Sandell presented it. Simply put, it was damn good. I really respect the course that Laurie Sandell has taken in her life, whether it be good, bad, destructive, or recovering from destruction. She wound up not only on her feet, but pretty successful with a lot to show for herself, rebuilding an impressive professional career. She had the nerve to air her family's dirty laundry not because she wanted to have something over her father, but because her story is one that is interesting, entertaining and not without its challenges. It was a pleasure to take this journey with Laurie Sandell through The Impostor's Daughter, however briefly, and she presented this journey successfully, with wit and immense honesty.