Dating My Vibrator

the blurb

Dating My Vibrator and other true fiction is a collection of nine true and almost true short stories all based (unfortunately) on my own experience. After nineteen years of marriage I was thrust into a brave new world of dating: online, offline, standing in line, listening to lines. And I have survived to tell these tales. Dating, divorce, desperation—all that good stuff. CAUTION: if you’re contemplating divorce, these stories may convince you to consider marriage counseling. If you’re out there dating, chances are you will relate. OMG! Here’s a scary thought: maybe you’ve met some of these guys. Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

my review

Despite the controversial title, Dating My Vibrator isn’t the smutty tale you would expect.  Instead, it is a collection of nine short stories about dating after a long marriage.  Some of the stories, some sad, some a little bit of both!  Tyrpak’s sense of humor with subjects and situations that I myself am all too familiar with was refreshing and fun.

The first short story in the novel, Downhill, cracked me up, mainly because I have been in that situation myself.  Tyrpak captured the situation and the feelings perfectly.  Rock Bottom, the second story, was much sadder, and again,… I could relate.  The next story, Not Nirvana, was both sad and extremely funny, once again perfectly capturing the conflicting emotions post-divorce.  I didn’t have a Dharma Dan in my life, but the story was absolutely hysterical, and more than a little creepy to know that these stories were based on real experiences!  Dust of Souls was another heartwrenching story, but I felt it was a powerful one, perfectly depicting the loneliness that post-divorce life can bring.  A Tiny Romance was one of the funniest, starring Sam, a post-divorce man who has sworn of women and romance.  Double Date described every creepy, sketchy guy I dated, and made that particular story all too relatable!  Phantom Library was definately different from the rest of the stories and I am not really sure I understood that one fully.  It was very poetic and interesting to read, however.  The final story in the collection was the titled story, Dating My Vibrator.  This was my favorite in the collection, the one I most related to.  Involving bad dates with a hypocritical guy who completely misrepresented himself, I came away from it shaking my head in sympathetic understanding! All of the stories were very well-written and so relatable to anyone who has been through a divorce.  I highly suggest reading this fun collection!