This Will All Be Over Soon, Cecily Strong
This Will All Be Over Soon, Cecily Strong
2 Rating(s)
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This Will All Be Over Soon
A Memoir

Author: Cecily Strong

Narrator: Cecily Strong

Unabridged: 5 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/10/2021


Synopsis

A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousin—and embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught her—amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. And so she was devastated when, in early 2020, he passed away at age thirty from the brain cancer glioblastoma. Before Strong could attempt to process her grief, another tragedy struck: the coronavirus pandemic. Following a few harrowing weeks in the virus epicenter of New York City, Strong relocated to an isolated house in the woods upstate. Here, trying to make sense of Owen’s death and the upended world, she spent much of the ensuing months writing. The result is This Will All Be Over Soon—a raw, unflinching memoir about loss, love, laughter, and hope.

Befitting the time-warped year of 2020, the diary-like approach deftly weaves together the present and the past. Strong chronicles the challenges of beginning a relationship during the pandemic and the fear when her new boyfriend contracts COVID. She describes the pain of losing her friend and longtime Saturday Night Live staff member Hal Willner to the virus. She reflects on formative events from her life, including how her high school expulsion led to her pursuing a career in theater and, years later, landing at SNL.

Yet the heart of the book is Owen. Strong offers a poignant account of her cousin’s life, both before and after his diagnosis. Inspired by his unshakable positivity and the valuable lessons he taught her, she has written a book that—as indicated by its title—serves as a moving reminder: whatever challenges life might throw one’s way, they will be over soon. And so will life. So make sure to appreciate every day and don’t take a second of it for granted.

About Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong is an actress and comedian best known as standout Saturday Night Live cast member. She has entertained viewers with a variety of beloved SNL characters featured on “Weekend Update,” and earned rave reviews for her impressions of Jeanine Pirro, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Melania Trump. Cecily previously cohosted “Weekend Update” alongside both Seth Meyers and Colin Jost. In 2015, she headlined the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. She will next star in the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon. She lives and works in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kerilyn

This is not a complete book but rather a series of hard to follow, stream of consciousness ramblings with incomplete resolutions of thought and emotion. While the author’s transparency about her anxiety and grief is raw and real, her story isn’t tied together through any manner of cohesive narrative......more

Goodreads review by Amanda

Cecily Strong is probably most notably persistent in our lives as she goes viral on a weekly basis after a sensational, hilarious performance on Saturday Night Live. This book, while it has its humorous moments, is definitely sensational, but more heart-wrenching than hilarious. The memoir is told in......more

Goodreads review by Sara

This book admittedly isn't quite what I expected. While I knew that the core of the book was about the author dealing with her cousin's death, I did not think that the entire book would be quite so melancholy since it is written by a comedian. It is a book primarily about grief. The format of the bo......more


Quotes

"Saturday Night Live star Cecily Strong narrates appealingly, often with raw emotion that fits the harrowing losses she experienced last year—the death of a favorite cousin to cancer, a new boyfriend stricken with COVID, and an SNL friend succumbing to the virus. Her pacing and comedic timing make listening easy, even when compact stories and vignettes appear in rapid succession like comedy one-liners. Her New York City street smarts provide an interesting contrast to the richness of her emotional life and her connection with her cousin, Owen. Memories of her formative years and path to comedy fame are also fun to hear, but it's her resilience and hope that are featured in this remarkable audio. Drawing on what she gained from Owen's love and support, her touching reflections will continue inspiring long after this absorbing audio is finished."