Review: I Am Not Fine, Thanks by Wil Anderson

A book that is part memoir, part manifesto about the past few years by one of Australia leading comedians? I'm in. And luckily for me, this one delivers on what the blurb promises on the back cover.

Most Australians will be familiar with Wil Anderson whether it be for his long and successful career as a stand up comedian, his work as the host of Gruen, his podcast Wilosophy or like I do, you remember his time hosting Triple J Breakfast with Adam Spencer. Or perhaps you're familiar with him for work that I haven't mentioned on here. Anyway, for the benefit of international readers Wil Anderson is very popular, very funny and he's worked successfully across a number of mediums.

In I Am Not Fine, Thanks, Wil Anderson takes his experiences over the past few years--basically from the bushfires to the pandemic to the floods--and puts his spin on things. Mostly notably that his experience is the world has gone to shit and when people ask him how he is, he can no longer give the standard reply of "I'm fine, thanks." What follows is his experiences of moving to a small town in NSW called Mullimbimby where plenty of the locals think a bit differently than he does on certain topics. In between this, there are some truly hilarious moments where he describes some of the misadventures that occur after he moves house, from a washing machine than appears to have suddenly gone crazy, to how he may have come across the locals when he was seen at the supermarket buying a roast chicken and ... well, I won't spoil it for you, but it's hilarious. He also shares his view on community responses to the pandemic, particularly when he found himself living in a community where his views put him in the minority.

Overall, this is an entertaining read, with plenty of Anderson's trademark humour. I ended up reading it over the course of a day, snatching the book up whenever I had a few free moments. 

Recommended.

Comments

Nat Bayley said…
Yes! I thought exactly the same. It's a very engaging read and gives great insight into the crazy last few years.
14 August 2023 at 18:15
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