In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir.
A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and now grieved.
Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, lay in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran toward his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they had in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world.
To make her mother known.
This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other—the last words of the only child of an American icon.©
From Here To The Great Unknown is an honest and emotional memoir of Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa had been working on this memoir in the years prior to her sudden death, recording her memories on audiotapes. Eventually she asked her daughter Riley Keough to help write the book. Following her death, Riley completed the memoir and added some of her own introspection to the narrative. Both Lisa Marie and Riley are open and honest in their retellings, revealing undisclosed details about their struggles and family life.
The memoir begins with Lisa Marie’s childhood at Graceland, detailing special memories with Elvis and the events surrounding his sudden death when she was only nine years old. Lisa never recovered from the trauma and went on to have a troubled youth, bouncing between schools, addicted to drugs, and having a bad relationship with her mother.
The book covers a lot of dark secrets, including Presley’s adult addictions and the sexual abuse endured by her mother’s boyfriend. The second half is more emotional, detailing the horror of her son’s suicide and the aftermath. The story reads like a great tragedy, so be prepared to become emotional while listening.
The audiobook is a high-quality production and extremely compelling. Riley Keough narrates what has been recounted to her and her own perspective. She does a great job engaging listeners and makes everything sound so familiar. Julia Roberts narrates from Lisa Marie’s perspective, and her narration is coupled with audio clips where Lisa Marie is speaking. The despondency in Lisa’s voice is palpable as she discusses her experiences of grief and loss. Even if you’re not an Elvis fan or know little about the Presley family, the recounted events will grip you!
Overall, this is a wonderful memoir that reads like a tragic love story—one between father and daughter and then a mother and son. The audiobook is the absolute method to enjoy this one and is a must-listen for Elvis/Lisa Marie fans or anyone who has experienced loss.
