I could not put this book down. I’m having that problem of ‘how to review famous people’s memoirs of trauma’ again but I’ll try my best.
Actress Riley Keough put this book together using the tapes her mother Lisa Marie had recorded, interspersed with Riley’s own reflections. The result is a compelling, intense memoir of mother and daughter. The book explores Lisa’s early memories of her father Elvis and how losing him when she was nine affected her throughout her life. It was challenging to forge her own career and work out an identity as more than Elvis’ daughter. Lisa was married four times, including to Michael Jackson, so there is a lot of insight into her approach to relationships. Graceland is often mentioned, so we learn about what it’s like to live there. In her middle age, Lisa struggled with addiction and was heartbroken at losing her son Ben. She never recovered and passed away in 2023. Riley had many happy experiences in her childhood, however her mother’s turbulent life and whirlwind personality did make an impact. In later years Riley tried to help her mother’s addiction and health issues, but after losing her brother everything spiralled. It’s valuable to have Lisa Marie’s story told in a sensitive, straightforward way which really engages the reader. The only thing I would change in this book is to make the voices contrast more. They are presented in different fonts which are actually quite similar! As I continued reading, I knew better who was speaking, but to begin with, if they mentioned ‘my mom’ I was confused whether it was Riley speaking about Lisa, or Lisa about Priscilla!
In summary this is a must-read memoir. Published by Macmillan, 2024.
Lived it! Laughed and cried!
Such a great read!