A hilarious and insightful collection of essays exploring impostor syndrome, from the inside and out, by the most successful fraud in comedy
Aparna Nancherla is a superstar comedian on the rise—a darling of Netflix and Comedy Central’s comedy special lineups, a headliner at comedy shows and music festivals, a frequenter of late night television and the subject of numerous profiles. She’s also a successful actor who has written a barrage of thoughtful essays published by the likes of the New York Times. If you ask her, though, she’s a total fraud. She’d hate to admit it, but no one does impostor syndrome quite like Aparna Nancherla.
UNRELIABLE NARRATOR is a collection of essays that uses Aparna’s signature humor to illuminate an interior life, one constantly bossed around by her depression (whom she calls Brenda), laced with anxiety like a horror movie full of jump-scares, and plagued by an unrepenting love-hate relationship with her career as a painfully shy standup comedian. But luckily, crippling self-doubt comes with the gift of keen self-examination. These essays deliver hilarious and incredibly insightful meditations on body image, productivity culture, the ultra-meme-ability of mental health language, and who, exactly, gets to make art “about nothing.” Despite her own arguments to the contrary, UNRELIABLE NARRATOR is undeniable proof that Aparna is a force—as a comedian and author alike—to be reckoned with.
About the Author
Aparna Nancherla is a comedian, actress, and writer based in Los Angeles. Her standup has appeared on Two Dope Queens on HBO, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Conan, and she’s had half-hour specials on both Comedy Central and Netflix. She starred as Grace the HR rep on the critically acclaimed Corporate, was the voice of Hollyhock on Bojack Horseman, and has held roles in many other shows. Aparna also wrote for and was featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC, Totally Biased on FX, and Debate Wars on Seeso, as well as contributing to Broad City and Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters. She has also contributed multiple op-eds to The New York Times.
Praise For…
“A deeply honest and funny look at how exhausting it can be to live a human life, Unreliable Narrator is a book for anyone who wants to laugh and feel less alone.” – Amy Poehler
“Aparna is a breath of fresh air, and I was rooting for her in every page of her hilarious book of essays.” – Mindy Kaling
“Unreliable Narrator is the kind of book that will turn you into a fan of Aparna if you weren’t already. Funny. Bold. Intelligent. Honest. Vulnerable. You really can’t ask for more except that maybe she ought to write another book. Sorry to give you more work, Aparna, but you’re brilliant!” – Phoebe Robinson
“I hope she believes it, because it’s true: Aparna Nancherla is absolutely brilliant, deeply funny, and--especially when your brain is trying so hard to convince you you’re a lonely, singular, fraud – extremely good company. I’ve never laughed so hard while getting to know myself better.” – John Hodgman
“I love every single thing the wickedly hilarious Aparna Nancherla does – as a human being, a comedian and now, author.” – Tig Notaro
