Devil in the Details

August 30, 2004
In this 1970s memoir, Traig describes how, from the age of 12 until her freshman year at Brandeis, she suffered from various forms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), including anorexia and a rarer, "hyper-religious form" of OCD called scrupulosity, in which sanctified rituals such as hand washing and daily prayer are repeated in endless loops. The daughter of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, Traig becomes obsessed with Jewish ritual, inventing her own prayers since her Jewish education is limited. Initially, Traig's family is amused; eventually, they try to help. Still, this memoir is less about suffering than it is about punch lines. When Traig swathes herself in head-to-toe flannel on hot summer days, her mother points to a scantily clad teenager on a talk show entitled My Teen Dresses Too Sexy
and suggests Traig cool off like the adolescent "in the red vinyl number with the cut-outs over the chest and fanny." Traig spoofs Jewish rituals, cracking up at elaborate bar mitzvahs produced like Las Vegas floor shows and the meticulous analysis that goes into deeming a food item kosher. The author's behavior makes her seem like a character on Seinfeld
or Curb Your Enthusiasm
, and her book is a funny though sometimes cursory look at mental illness. Agent, Emily Forland.
(Sept.)

Forecast:
Readers who can't get enough of wacky childhood stories by Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris and Haven Kimmel may like Traig's book. She'll make appearances at Jewish book fairs and in San Francisco, and her association with
McSweeney's and the
Forward (she contributes to both), as well as her recent essay in the
New York Times Magazine, could draw audiences.