It’s easy to get swept up in the latest dystopian fiction trend that has enveloped the nation’s teenagers in books like Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games”or  Veronica Roth’s “Divergent.” Granted, this type of fiction can keep you wrapped up in its fantasyland for hours, but sometimes a step into the world of a real person can be just as entertaining. Jenny Lawson’s autobiography “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” is just as fascinating as teens fighting each other to the death.

Lawson is straightforward right from the beginning, “straightforward” meaning she lures you in with the promise of an infant arsonist and keeps you wondering through several paragraphs if someone so small could actually be a pyromaniac. Hint: she can. She then relives her traumatizing, yet hilarious, childhood as she points out numerous reasons why her upbringing is unique and tells story after story about her crazy father. Seriously, a side-by-side comparison will rid anyone of the fear that his or her own dad is a lunatic.

After convincing the whole world that her childhood was terrifying, she begins to discuss her adulthood. She recounts how she met her husband, married him, revealed top-secret HR information, had a kid, visited her parents in rural Texas, realized her deep affection for small taxidermied animals and more. But throughout the jokes and stories Lawson interweaves serious, real struggles as she battles her severe social anxieties and multiple miscarriages. Moving past mere social awkwardness, her fears are almost paralyzing, and at many times she creates situations so unpleasant that no one can stand to be in them. As Lawson takes you through her troubles, you can see how her disability negatively affects her daily life.

“Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” is a great balance between real problems and hilarious stories that seem too good to be true. Lawson’s unbelievable tales will keep you wrapped up in her book from beginning to end. She is unapologetically herself as she discovers how unfortunate moments truly shaped the person she is today. Anyone looking for a break from the usual Young Adult Best Sellers should pick up a copy. Lawson’s book isn’t for the easily offended, but it will leave you in stitches with a deep sense of relief that you haven’t been in her shoes.