Rachel Bloom is a comedic force. In her memoir I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, Bloom walks us through her life from childhood all the way through the birth of her first child. Bloom holds nothing back. I mean nothing. There are stories about learning how to poop in a toilet, learning about and enjoying masturbation, how she was bullied as a child, what living with obsessive-compulsive disorder was like, and more! Bloom frequently dips in and out of presenting her life factually with commentary and dipping into more fantastical retellings such as reimagining her first relationships through the lens of a fairy tale princess who was curved by an Orange Julius witch. There are also some forays into just pure fabrication in the book such as Harry Potter fanfic and an business proposal for an amusement park for adults.
Okay to each their own when it comes to reading a book versus listening to an audiobook, but you absolutely MUST listen to the audiobook version of I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are because Bloom herself narrates, and she adds her own tiny additions to the book that would be missed in the text version. I mean, she does a full musical number in which she harmonizes with herself. Each chapter is opened with Bloom exclaiming “New Chapter!” Phenomenal. There’s also something so surreal and wonderful to me about listening to the creator and star of show talk about how the show itself was made. Bloom talks about everything Crazy Ex-Girlfriend related with this subtle note of pride in her voice that, despite not knowing her personally, made me so happy for and proud of her.
Also, please make sure that you read the entire book, afterword included. Bloom pivots so beautifully from silly, absurd comedy to heartfelt tribute to one of her dear friends in the final pages. Blooms shows that all of the heart that she pours into her comedic writing can just as easily be focused into non-comedic writing.
