Lisa Peachey grew up under some of the worst health conditions of the late 20th century: mothers drinking and smoking during pregnancy, babies eating meat-based formulas instead of breastmilk, and more. But it’s only as an adult that she began to notice intense sensitivities to minute concentrations of odors and chemicals. In EVERYTHING IS NOT PEACHEY, she describes her harrowing diagnostic journey, the struggles of adjusting to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and the satisfaction of discovering a lifestyle that allows her to feel healthy and happy.

Peachey explains that she has written this memoir, in part, to explain to her loved ones why she lives the way she does (as a fragrance-free, gluten-free vegetarian). Although her particular condition is not widely recognized, her experience shares much in common with that of other sufferers of chronic illness—especially hard-to-see and hard-to-diagnose conditions. Long COVID has increased awareness of these conditions, but EVERYTHING IS NOT PEACHEY is still an important contribution to an advancing understanding of the societal toll such unseen and misunderstood illnesses exact. Peachey is particularly affecting when she laments the degree to which her illness requires specific accommodations from others. Many disabled people could relate to her frustration that “[we] are not looking for attention. We just want to [feel] normal.” The memoir’s easy, conversational tone reinforces the human scale of the story.

While its personal, intimate scope is unquestionably a strength, EVERYTHING IS NOT PEACHEY struggles at times when it connects Lisa’s individual experience to broader social critiques. The text often hits the mark dead-on, as when it expresses sympathy for doctors who try their best in a system controlled by insurance companies for profit, rather than care. However, the last third or so also toes the line into pseudoscience, relating MCS to phenomena like electromagnetic field sensitivity or the Emoto water claims (the former consistently debunked in double-blind experiments, the latter consistently vague about the rigor of its experimental setup). NOT PEACHEY also misses some opportunities for clear, relatable arguments. Despite describing horrific workplace conditions (including a mechanical accident in a factory), there’s little discussion of capitalism and labor. Much is made of the prevalence and health risks of personal scent, but there’s no discussion of how gendered expectations demand that women manage body odor much more aggressively than men. These ideas aren’t necessary to the central argument per se; however, the attention paid to pseudoscience at the expense of more grounded social critiques is unquestionably a loss.

Nonetheless, EVERYTHING IS NOT PEACHEY accomplishes what it sets out to do: explain the lived experience of MCS, the struggle to diagnose and manage it, and the importance of building a rich, fulfilling life for oneself.

Though it occasionally tacks close to some brands of pseudoscience, Lisa Peachey’s EVERYTHING IS NOT PEACHEY is a thoughtful, affecting, deeply personal account of chronic illness.

~Dan Accardi for IndieReader