Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy

A special thank you to HBG Canada and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

The 1980s is known for being a decade of excess and it was almost too much for Andrew McCarthy. He is known for being a standout in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Weekend at Bernie's, and Less than Zero, and also as a member of Hollywood's Brat Pack.

This beautifully written memoir is a painfully honest and emotional recollection by an adored actor, director, and author. McCarthy's look back to the 80s is, a coming of age story, a reckoning with with addiction, and a story about the complicated relationship with his father. Brat is an intimate story of an outsider who was almost swallowed up by the very movies that made him famous.

McCarthy's memoir is an almost-tell-all. Like his gaze, this piercing and unflinching account is sincere, raw, and captivating. If you are looking for a soapy kiss and tell, you'll have to look elsewhere. This is an enthralling, well-written account of someone who always was agonizing with his fame—McCarthy is just as aloof, shy, and uncomfortable with it today as he was then. He is candid, and at times self-deprecating, and distant. In fact, his aloofness cost him roles and challenged people's perception of him. 

He is honest—almost to a fault—with with his dysfunctions, personality quirks, and how he often felt exposed. McCarthy opens up about his issues with alcohol, how his insecurities and head would clear with each drink. He also writes about the challenging relationship he had with his father who would relentlessly ask him for money. 

Brat doesn't name drop and embellish in the perks associated with stardom. Instead it glosses over the fame, focusing more on the feelings McCarthy had about his personal struggles as well as the trajectory of his acting career. He is a gifted and thoughtful writer. Brat is elusive, candid, and enthralling.

In a decade that proved to be more angsty for him that for his characters, McCarthy's memoir is a must-read for any Gen Xer.

BUY NOW

ANDREW McCARTHY is an actor, director, an award-winning travel writer, and a bestselling author. He has directed more than eighty hours of television, including Orange in the New Black, The Blacklist, Gossip Girl, and many others. For a dozen years he served as editor at large at National Geographic Traveler, and his award-winning travel writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME, and elsewhere. He is the author a travel memoir, The Longest Way Home, and a young-adult novel, Just Fly Away—both New York Times bestsellers.

McCarthy lives in New York with his family.