Reading Michelle Brasier’s Memoir, My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag, is like joining Michelle for a morning walk with her dog on a whim. You decide to go get brunch at a Melbourne Café where their coffee is as good as their silent judgment. You go op-shopping to keep the good vibes going, which, of course, turns into an afternoon of swanning around a gallery in your new Milan-ready contour, then a cheeky musical in the evening, and a tour of Melbourne’s greatest karaoke bars, finishing with a sleepover. It’s too late to go home now. The next morning, a day trip to her next gig, because babe, you’re just that good. Until you see your mum on the news, pleading for you to come home, standing in front of the worst possible picture they could have chosen for your missing person’s report.
Anything but that photo, Mum.
My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag follows Michelle’s recent show, ‘Average Bear’, an audit of her life where both her brother, father and dog all pass away from cancer. She poses the question: If you found out you had less time to live than the average bear how might you spend it?
The memoir is about romping through the cards life dealt you and finding humour, tears and songs, as similar a response to any situation. It tells stories about cancer, getting fingered in Wagga Wagga and the highs and lows of drama school. On a deeper level, it offers a refreshingly honest human perspective on situations that otherwise would provoke a hard and dismissive response. The man beside you violating your already-limited space on a commercial flight becomes an opportunity to swap seats with a father eager to send a video to his plane-obsessed son.
This book was meant to be performed, with prose practically singing off the page. Michelle has perfected a device that borders on the villainous, captivating the reader with every turn. Her storytelling enthralled me, from the wet pages I cried on, to the full chest laughter or the third “excuse me” from a customer half a meter away wanting to buy their things and bloody go home.
This memoir plays around with the idea of what exactly you need to know, presenting the bandages before the burn is even mentioned. The linear beginning and end one expects from a life story have been foregone in favour of an engrossing conversation where every tangent must be explored. Please see the following excerpt from the contents page:
· My brother lives in Edinburgh
· Continental Drift
· My understanding of the Blue Man Group
· Warner Huntington the Third
· All the things I do not want you to find out about me
This makes for a fast-paced read, as you roar through one-to-two-page chapters. The Chapter variety is not just in length, but also in style, with thoughtful playlists, poems and song lyrics scattered throughout.
This book is marinated in the character of an incredible human being and I couldn’t help but see others in the pages; A best friend who has been going through her journey of losing her dad and dog, the friend who let me drink away my overhyped expectation of love after a first date gone wrong in his backyard and my brother who I float above and look up to so much. You cannot examine Michelle’s life without finding some reflection of your own. It’s not selfish to celebrate life the way she does.
If you can’t tell already, I’m a big fan of this book, the structure of the chapter, the lyricism of the words, and the content at its heart. In some way, this review feels like a poor man’s love letter to this well-crafted artifice. If you are looking for a deceptively easy read to start your Goodreads goal off, then pick up ‘My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag’.
