Window Shopping for God by Deborah Kimmett

In Window Shopping for God: A Comedian’s Search for Meaning, Deborah Kimmett digs deep to offer an authentic and humorous retrospective on her life. Kimmett’s willingness to share less-than-flattering experiences lends power to her story. That type of openness requires courage, and I admire writers like Kimmett who put it all out there.

The title of the book’s first section, “Losing My Religion,” hints at a key component of the book: Kimmett’s loss of faith in the Roman Catholic structures and teachings of her childhood, and her subsequent search for alternative ways of finding meaning and direction.

Some of the book’s other major narrative threads relate to Kimmett’s quest to patch up her relationship with her brother Kevin, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; her struggles with alcohol and mental health; her sometimes-strained relationship with her mother; and her life as a comedian (which—spoiler alert—isn’t necessarily all laughs).

Not surprisingly for someone who chose stand-up comedy as a profession, some of Kimmett’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. However, there are plenty of poignant moments as well.

Kimmett tells her story with a self-deprecating sense of humour. Not surprisingly for someone who chose stand-up comedy as a profession, some of Kimmett’s writing is laugh-out-loud funny. However, there are plenty of poignant moments as well. I found some of the later chapters particularly enjoyable, as time grants Kimmett the ability to look at events through a different lens.

One of the chapters I found the most powerful was titled “A Comic Walks into a Mosque.” In this chapter, Kimmett describes a performance she gave at the Kingston Islamic Centre. Here, she finds common ground talking about the struggles our grandmothers and mothers had, and how they contributed to our lives. Kimmett’s comments resonated with the audience, even though their individual experiences may have differed from hers.

Entertainingly written, Window Shopping for God should be of interest to anyone who enjoys humorous, insightful writing and isn’t afraid of deviating from the prescribed path in search of meaning.

Deborah Kimmett is a trailblazer in Canadian comedy. She has been a guest on CBC’s The Debaters for seventeen years and has a regular spot in CBC’s Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Laugh Out Loud. Her last comedy album, Downward Facing Broad, reached number 5 on iTunes. She is the author of Reality Is Over Rated, Outrunning Crazy and That Which Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Funnier, and her play Miracle Mother was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. Kimmett has also been a contributing columnist for More Magazine, Kingston Life, Toronto Life, Canadian Living and the Toronto Star. She lives in Toronto, ON.

Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre (May 4, 2024)
Paperback 6″ x 9″ | 256 pages
ISBN: 9781771623995

Lisa Timpf

Website

Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. Her writing has appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, The Future Fire, Triangulation: Habitats, and other venues. Lisa’s speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/.