Postcards From the Edge is Carrie Fisher’s novel , published in 1987, that marks the first book in the Suzanne Vale series. She would later publish the sequel in 2004 that continued the saga of Vale’s struggles with addiction and mental health. Billed as semi biographical, I would argue it’s more biography than not. I feel like Fisher created Vale, a well-known actress whose struggles with addiction and spiraling mental health have had an impact on her career, as a way to safely explore her own struggles behind the protective barrier of poetic license. In truth, the whole book reads like a series of essays exploring the psyche of someone navigating the two worlds of fame and recovery. We see a bit of her experiences while in rehab and then her subsequent return to the “real world,” especially as she tries to match up the Suzanne she is now with the one everyone expects to see.

Fisher really had a way of telling a story. She had this acerbic wit and incredible comedic timing. As serious as this subject matter is, Fisher managed to make it unbelievably funny, not taking any moment too seriously while also infusing the entire thing with some really profound revelations. Her real voice, this brilliant and vivacious powerhouse, really shines through Suzanne, and there’s no one better to tell this story. We know and understand so much more about addiction than we did in 1987, but we still have a really long way to go before we’re really able to tackle the major underlying issues that contribute to just how rampant the problem of drug abuse is in our society.

It’s kind of awful reading this book after Carrie Fisher’s passing, though it’s quite easy to imagine her still cracking jokes at her own expense from beyond the grave. I can’t help but feel she was failed by almost everyone around her. Through Suzanne, she captured the loneliness and confusion that comes from trying to be ok while managing expectations, often nonsensical and contradictory. Overall, I would say this is a worthwhile read. It’s quick, makes you laugh out loud, and really makes you think. It could have been longer, honestly, which is one of the reasons I said it felt like a series of essays. It’s not as cohesive as a lot of novels, but it’s still a good read.

First published August 1, 1987. Audiobook published April 20, 2015 by Phoenix Books, Inc. ISBN 9780330301695. Runtime 2 hrs, 23 mins. Narrated by the Author.