Memoir Review

I chose a random memoir, not wanting to be biased or looking for those that might seem more advanced or interesting. I just clicked on one named "Dent". I thought it would be about a more complicated situation, but the idea was simple. The speaker (who I assume to be the same as the author, since it's a first-person account) tells about the time where he had to keep a friend's secret. His neighbor had discovered a huge dent in her car, one that she loved dearly, and the speaker's friend was at fault. The detail given was alright, but it could have been emphasized a bit more.

"Mrs. Goldstein, my aunt’s neighbor and close friend, had woken up yesterday morning to find a huge gouge in her silver Civic. The paint and metal had worn off. The damage was astounding."

Since it is the subject of the story, the actual event could have been given more attention. The speaker then goes back to present tense, where he is at home.

"My head slumped into my hands. The dragging chatter in the background became a weak buzz. If I was submitted to much more of this, I would fall asleep before dessert."

This is one of the better examples of sensory images in the memoir, since there aren't many that truly convey feeling. I found a lot of similes, though.

"His face was contorted like a child reluctant to give away his favorite toy. I heard the plea in his voice."

 "It took a couple of seconds before the impact came, but when it did it felt like someone had punched me in the gut."

"The tears came and rolled steadily down his cheeks like rivers of pain." 

There was good word choice, and the overall story stayed in chronological order (with a few flashbacks to past events). The author re-told exactly what happened, but in a way that makes you believe you are in the story with them. There was powerful use of dialogue that displayed the characters' emotions and personalities, and it was easy to relate to their situations. Overall, it was a decent memoir, for what it was. I won't critique it too harshly, but I feel like there could have been more in-depth syntax and more descriptive passages.