Nightmarriage - by Chad Thomas Johnston - IMHO

Chad Thomas Johnston’s book Nightmarriage is anything BUT a tome describing marriage as a bad dream. If the book is to be pegged at all (and this may be a disservice), it is a comic celebration of finding one’s way through dimly lit first, and often unexpected, experiences in young marriage and child rearing. In a style reminiscent of David Sedaris, Chad allows us to join him on the journey of negotiating compromise and revelation in his marriage to Becki and the birth of their daughter.  His writing is clever and creative, but never caustic – and this is perhaps the true gem of his abilities as a storyteller.  I found myself smiling almost constantly as I read Nightmarriage – when I wasn’t laughing aloud – but never at anyone’s expense. And I was so immediately engaged, that I read the book in one sitting. There is a wide-eyed innocence in the way he weaves together this memoir, not unlike the tall tale of a precocious child. Johnston is clearly in touch with his inner precociousness, and the reader cannot help but be simultaneously amused and captivated. I eagerly await the future antics of the Johnston clan.