Paula K. (pking) reviewed on 3/19/2006 + 59 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

From her opener--"There was always one girl at camp whom everyone hated"--to her conclusion about the inner lives of truffle pigs, actress-monologist Kaplan consistently amuses while cutting surprisingly deep. Never content to be merely clever, she probes, in these professed "true stories," the reasons why we manage to attach so much importance to self-justification without ever questioning it. Each story presents another element that in one way or another has shifted or reinforced Kaplan's view of people and their relationships. Whether observing the suffering of Alzheimer's, waiting tables, or trying a new therapist, Kaplan usually finds herself in the same place, wondering whether contentment with what one has or the aspiration for something more is the nobler state of mind. In the end, it seems, we are all truffle pigs, lauded for our keen senses of smell but never allowed to keep the ultimate prize for ourselves. Whether that is good or bad remains to be seen.

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