
Kathryn Borel was 21 years old when she crashed into and killed a man who was jaywalking. Eight years after the accident, Borel, a journalist now armed with a deep-seated sense of mortality, decided to get to know her temperamental French father before it was too late. In her debut memoir, Corked, Borel unpacks a tragicomic father-daughter drinkfest through the finest French vineyards.
MC: Why the Sideways trip?
KB: After the accident, my brother would get on his bike or my parents would get in their car, and I'd think, They're going to be killed. After a lot of therapy, the feeling of looming death dissipated, but when my father hurt himself a couple of years later, the fear came rushing back. A few weeks later, I was in his wine cellar and realized his enormous collection would all be bequeathed to me. And yet, I never really understood his passion for it. So I thought if I tried to understand him through wine, I'd gain some insight.
MC: How big is his wine obsession?
KB: From the time I was 6, he'd drag me down to the cellar and lecture me on the bottles. Our family tastings were the closest thing we had to a ritual—it was our religion.
MC: Were you afraid to drive?
KB: I immediately got behind the wheel of the car after the accident. I thought if I allowed lag time between what happened and driving, it'd become something huge and unwieldy.
MC: Was a road trip with dad intense?
KB: It ended up being two people stuck in a car for three weeks. There was one point where I was like, "This man is impenetrable and insensitive. I'm never speaking to him again."
MC: How did you get past it?
KB: One night at dinner, he told me about a terrible trauma he went through in his mid-20s that I wasn't aware of. My father was wrongly accused of being part of a heroin deal. He was jailed for six months before he was cleared.
MC: Whoa. Were you able to relate through your respective traumas?
KB: I wasn't ever sure if he truly empathized with my own accident, but after he told me his story, I knew that he did.
MC: Any future road trips?
KB: No. I've always wanted to go hang gliding, though. I'll ask my father this summer.
-
The Instagram Guide to Tecate, Mexico
The Mexican town is known as “Pueblo Magico”—magical town.
By Michelle Stansbury
-
Worth It: Dior Capture Totale Le Sérum
It's the definition of a do-it-all.
By Samantha Holender
-
Kaia Gerber Is the First to Admit She's a Nepo Baby: "I Won't Deny the Privilege That I Have"
She made some great points.
By Iris Goldsztajn
-
The 56 Best Musical Movies of All Time: Iconic Movie Musicals
All the dance numbers! All the show tunes!
By Amanda Mitchell
-
'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know
Netflix owes us answers after that ending.
By Zoe Guy
-
29 Nude Movies With Porn-Level Nudity
All the nudity of porn, but with the plot and storylines of mainstream film.
By Kayleigh Roberts
-
The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide
The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recast—again.
By Andrea Park
-
Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Diana’s Boyfriend on Season 5 of ‘The Crown’?
Di’s friends have said she referred to the doctor as “the love of her life.”
By Andrea Park
-
Who Is Penelope "Penny" Knatchbull?
She and Prince Philip strike up an unlikely friendship throughout the fifth season of 'The Crown.'
By Andrea Park
-
'The Crown' Season 5: Everything We Know
The bombshell fifth season just dropped on Netflix.
By Andrea Park
-
90 Halloween Costume Ideas Inspired By Movies and TV Shows
Most of these Halloween costumes double as stylish additions to your closet.
By Brooke Knappenberger