Book review: Reckoning by Magda Szubanski

I’ve always held a belief that comedians are intelligent people. Not only do you have to come up with funny content, you have to get the delivery just right; the so-called comic timing. If anyone were to embody this belief of mine, it would be Magda Szubanski AO. I’m convinced of that after reading her evocative and moving memoir; Reckoning.

Before reading this book, I thought of Magda Szubanski as the actor who played the delightful Mrs Hoggett in Babe, and of course the loveable Sharon from Kath and Kim. Little did I know that I was in for a surprising read full of stories that really spoke to me. I knew I would already be treated to a piece of fine literature from the accolades that decorate this book: The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Book of the Year, ABIA Biography of the Year, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction, Indie Award for Non-Fiction, and Nielsen BookData Booksellers’ Choice Award. Wow.

This is no ordinary celebrity autobiography. Magda Szubanski is a naturally gifted writer who has the power to illustrate humanity in its entire spectrum. She has had an incredible life, which she tells candidly, as though we – her readers – are her closest friends. As a doctor, I smiled as I read about a young Magda who was fascinated by medical textbooks, and the occasional medical term thrown into the book here and there as part of metaphors. She also describes a battle with sexuality that is so heart-achingly raw. As someone who has many gay friends, I am often called the “fag hag”, and it would absolutely crush me if any of them had to endure some of the struggles Magda faced.

The other surprise about Magda Szubanski’s story is her reference to World War II. I have a great interest in this part of our modern history, as you may have read in a previous blog post. Her very personal mission to understand the unfathomable context within which her father lived in shook me to the core. Her bleak descriptions of her first trip back to post-war Poland was raw and captivating.

Throughout the book, the themes of self-discovery and the effects of intergenerational trauma are poignant. Reading Magda Szubanski’s memoir was an empowering experience; she is a brave and powerful woman who was keen to understand herself, willing to be vulnerable to her family and then to the public, and ultimately rise to success.

Reckoning is both a work of art and an astonishing reflection of a human life interwoven with rich history, emotional intelligence, and an inquisitive mind and heart. I don’t know where one goes after writing a life memoir, but I do hope that Magda Szubanski will be writing more books.

Miko