5/5 Stars!
Whenever we’re away, I always find myself hunting for great bookstores. Even the local branches of Waterstones often exhibit different emphasis on certain genres, so little local and indie stores are no different. It was after our adventure down the Monsal Trail in the Peak District that I decided to take a gander in the Gift Shop at Hassop station, and that is when this baby caught my eye. Partly drawn to the pink cover and the neatness of a tiny book, my eye was quickly drawn to the words Schitts Creek and that was it. It had me.
It weren’t long until I was home and making my way through this beautiful little book – Love That Journey For Me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek. It reads almost like a long, critical evaluation essay on Schitts Creek and its representation of queer culture. Almost half analysis-half love-letter, it breaks down certain elements of the show and celebrates it as the cultural landmark that it is.
This little book explores a multitude of elements of the show and all its nuances. It delves into the town itself, a seemingly small-somewhat secluded world that somehow seems more accepting and loving than the world the Roses came from. It analyses the ‘Wine, and not the label‘ phrase and all that it represented; as well as Patricks feelings for David, and then coming out to his parents. It discusses the Rose family and how they form their own chosen family in the form of the locals who have taken them in and helped them through time. How the town just embraces them for all that they are, both the good and the… flaws.
It also challenges conventional views of what love and family look like but makes it very simple: the people who let you be your best self
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I personally loved the chapters on the use of Cabaret, and how it expressed certain things happening to both Patrick and Stevie. I also really enjoyed the section on fashion and music, and how it relates to queer culture and embodies the camp aesthetics. How Moira employs flamboyance and her many wigs, her ‘girls‘ to alter and reinvent herself everyday. I guess you could say I just loved it all.
This book is truly a celebration of everything that Levy and the whole team on Schitt’s Creek created. While it is unofficial and unaffiliated with the Schitt’s Creek brand, it is absolutely exquisite in its commentary and evaluation of the show. I think for a lot of people, myself included this has put into words why Schitt’s Creek is so beloved and means so much to so many. I think Garside did a wonderful job in accurately depicting how we all feel towards the show and even touched on some things that I hadn’t even thought of.
If you love Schitt’s Creek and want to read more, I’d highly recommend this book. I’d also give this post of mine a read to see if you like this other book, produced by Dan and Eugene Levy.
Cheerio for now!
withsomejam 
[…] We had also heard about some stepping stones, just off the Monsal Trail and had hoped to have made it there but my body just couldn’t handle that too. We still needed to make it back to the Station and while we had a lot of time to still do that, we knew that we also wanted to have a restful evening and an early night before we packed up the next day. With that in mind, we made it back to Hassop Station and after a well-welcomed tea and a GF/DF slice of carrot cake, I was rewarded with the gift shop. I had already noticed in the morning that the shop had a big selection of cards and books so I was really looking forward to perusing its goods. This is where I found a complete gem of a book –Love That Journey For Me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek which I have a post about here. […]
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