Window Shopping for God: A Comedian’s Search for Meaning

Window Shopping for God is a memoir by your average people-pleasing, meaning-of-life-seeking, downward-facing-dog-posing stand-up comedian.

Deborah Kimmett has worshipped a lot of deities. After emerging from a rigidly Catholic childhood, she danced with witches, whirled with Sufis and explored the Power of Now like there was no tomorrow.  

Whether describing her teenage fear of demonic possession (and wardrobe hack for thwarting the Prince of Darkness), the perils of a comedy career (addiction, alienation, sexism, etc.), or her reconciliation with her estranged brother as he faced terminal illness (just to up the stakes), Kimmett's writing is unflinchingly honest, laugh-out-loud funny and deeply relatable. As she says, “if you disassociate from your body, it’s called trauma. If you disassociate and get paid for it, it’s called a comedy career.”

“Window Shopping for God is a mesmerizing book of unflinching honesty, poignancy and yes, the trademark Kimmett hilarity. Addiction, birth, death, Catholics, Buddhists, witches, therapists, family, friends, this book has it all. Please read about Deborah’s search for a belief system, the meaning of life and good scones. You won’t be sorry.”

“With this bold and honest story, Deborah Kimmett’s unique voice is a beacon in today’s society where women of a certain age are rarely seen, let alone heard. Honesty and comedy make for a powerful combination. As we say in the business, know your audience. Deborah not only knows her audience but she’s captured us brilliantly.”

“As moving as it is hilarious, Deborah Kimmett’s memoir lays bare the life of a Second City comic. She revels in onstage triumphs and gets abruptly fired, dates far too many musicians, battles alcoholism, finds sobriety and lurches into motherhood by birthing two babies in a year, one of them achingly premature. All the while, Kimmett is looking for God, and we’re with her on every step of her rowdy and riveting quest.”

“Poignant, vulnerable, and above all, hilarious. Deborah Kimmett walks us through moments big and small in her life with honesty, self-deprecation and a little bit of side-eye. Her ability to make us laugh during some of the hard times in her life might make it easier for us to revisit some of our own hard times with a new perspective that allows for a little more grace and compassion for ourselves and the people around us. Reading Window Shopping for God will make you want to sit down with Deb and wax philosophical over a cappuccino…and then make fun of people who wax philosophical.”

“Window Shopping for God feels like finding a new friend. It made me cry because I was laughing so hard, and sometimes it just made me cry, in a good way. You’ll love this book if you’re a recovering Catholic; struggled with addiction; had an undiagnosed brain injury; lost a loved one; worked in comedy; been in therapy; are afraid to start therapy; are a therapist; been a mother; had a mother; had a dog; searched for something called God…what the hell, you’ll love this book.”

“A hilarious, poignant and moving memoir from a very funny lady. Window Shopping for God is a must-read for anyone who has ever found themselves searching for meaning, only to discover it hiding in plain sight. I couldn’t put it down, and I laughed so hard I cried. This is one of those books that will make people ask, “What ARE you reading???” I highly recommend this book.”

“A remarkable book, by a remarkable woman. Window Shopping for God will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that ricochets between hilarity and empathy. It is truly heartwarming.”

“Searingly, brutally and hilariously honest!! A beautifully written bittersweet journey celebrating the triumph of spirit. A remarkable read.”

“If you’re looking for God, you might not find what you’re looking for in the pages of this book. But if you’re looking to tag along for an uproarious spiritual journey of self-revelation, forgiveness and transcendence—wherein the line between truth and memory and outright invention is as inscrutable as an act of divine intervention—this is the book for you. Window Shopping for God is a daring, innovative and side-splitting debut.”

“Window Shopping for God is a fun page-turner of a book. An irreverent, poignant, utterly readable and sometimes hysterical look at the dark, disturbing but mostly hilarious moments in Deborah Kimmett’s life.”

“Through it all, Kimmett’s humor (‘After all that time and money, you’d think Amazon would have delivered me a deity in which I could believe with complete certainty’) perfectly counterbalances the material’s gravity. This offers solace to those puzzling out their own place in the universe.”

“It’s not a self-help book. But it has so much wisdom—reads like a David Sedaris book with well-muscled essays that lead one into each other. I couldn’t put it down. After I finished I looked up to the clouds and let out a big sigh of gratitude.”

“Books by comedians carry heightened expectations for humour, wry perspective, pointed rants, etc. Effective philosophical musings, maybe not so much. Canadian comedian, playwright and educator Deborah Kimmett’s amusing new memoir expands her earlier successful writing and performing, living up to its subtitle … Window Shopping for God is a humorous set of musings from a ‘fellow traveller’ whose wisdom has something for everyone to appreciate.”