Maybe in Another Universe: The Best of Gaby Dunn, Vol. 1

by Gaby Dunn

What do shipwrecks, college slums, bisexuals, and Blink 182 have in common? Gaby Dunn. Gaby is a writer, journalist, and comedian in New York City whose work has appeared everywhere from ROOKIE to New York Times Magazine. “Maybe In Another Universe: The Best of Gaby Dunn, Vol. 1” is a collection of her most humorous, poignant, and touching essays to appear on Thought Catalog.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2013

Reviews

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a 3.5. I picked this up because of a few fragments of the Maybe in Another Universe, I Deserve You piece I came across a while back. I didn't love all of these essays, but that particular piece was lovely and is now an all-time favourite. (Here it is in full btw.) Other favourites were Girls Don't Count and Something is Going to Happen. I like the different formats Dunn works with, and you'll get the most out of them if you're a little familiar with internet discourse, especially on Tumblr and in blog comments.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Gaby and I love her writing.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Gaby Dunn's voice and the way she wrote. I loved the way this addressed bisexuality and the way people, especially men, react to it, the way it addressed emotional abuse and mental health, and how self-aware Gaby Dunn is, especially of her own flaws. There was also some parts that were legitimately hilarious. I feel like we have very similar senses of humour. I also think that the whole collection was very articulate and insightful and generally a very enjoyable read.

The one thing I will say that made me a little bit hesitant about it, that made it less than an absolute favourite was the way certain essays would have come across in a different context, mainly 'What Would the Internet Say About Famous Writers' and 'Your Tumblr Dashboard, Probably'. If they hadn't been in the context of this collection, a collection that has constant little bits of feminism and general activism and social awareness throughout it, there are points when both could have come across as Dunn insulting things such as social activism. As it is, I assumed that it wasn't and Gaby Dunn wasn't being mocking and instead just sharing legitimate experiences and being a little humourous and such. But the wording could have been better, because had some of these not been in this particular collection I would have felt differently.

Either way I loved it and I recommend it and I related to the vast majority of it on a very personal level. My favourite parts were probably 'Girls Don't Count', 'Maybe In Another Universe I Deserve You', and, on a more humorous note, 'Possible Reactions When Your Parents Ask "Are You Dating Anybody?"'

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy Gaby Dunn's work on Just Between us and with Buzzfeed and kind of vaguely knew she had done a lot of writing as well, but it wasn't until I read her recent-ish articles about the challenges facing stars making money on YouTube (very insightful, still think about that article) and then about bisexuality that I sought out more of her writing. With that in mind, I don't really agree that this collection is "the best of Gaby Dunn." She's grown a lot as a writer since this, and only the best pieces contained in this selection really compete with what I'd expected from those more extensive and compelling works I'd first read from her. That being said, there is a place for fluffy articles making fun of Tumblr and Florida, and if you're interested in that then maybe you'll enjoy a larger portion of this book than I did. She certainly brings her voice and humor strongly throughout. And there are some really good thoughts and much more serious subjects addressed among the fluff. Still, short essays aren't really my style so even the best parts were a bit lackluster for probably that reason.

[India Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this instantly after reading the piece of prose 'Maybe In Another Universe', which is one of the best pieces of writing I've ever read. The rest of the pieces in this collection were witty, funny, and thought-provoking, although 'Maybe In Another Universe' is by far the best. Very quick and easy to read, I would definitely recommend this collection.

[Paola Piliado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this writer thanks to Thought Catalog. I heard she had "published" a kindle compilation of her columns. It costed 2.99. I was happy to help her.

The stories are fun, witty, very actual and true-to-times. I would love to read from her in the future.

[m. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5: thoughtful and full of insight but as a gaby fan, i'm 100% certain these aren't her best works

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her. Simply, I love her. I ate it in one sitting.