I Regret Almost Everything

Keith McNally’s first person narrative account traces his constant quest for a meaningful life and a purposeful sense of self. As the title I Regret Almost Everything suggests, McNally’s search for fulfillment has not been a neat, linear trajectory. Rather, his relational, vocational, and personal journeys have been a meandering series of “stops and starts.” Each choice he made to find contentment has led him to revelations about who he wants to be and questions about where he is going. In his confessional memoir, McNally uses his stroke and attempted suicide as turning points in his life. He identifies these medical emergencies as experiences that compelled him to reflect on his past and to make sense of the choices he’s made and what these choices say about his restless, searching spirit.

McNally’s vulnerable tone throughout the memoir invites the reader in, allowing her to identify with his ongoing search for a purposeful life. From a young age, McNally admits that he was desperate to escape his working-class roots in East London. His difficult childhood and familiarity with economic disadvantage convinced him that to find fulfillment, he must make money and establish a name for himself.