Reading Hollywood: From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

The late singer’s memoir, co-written by her daughter, delves into the life and troubles of being Elvis’s daughter.

It's obvious from the very first page that From Here to the Great Unknown is going to be a tough read. In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter, acclaimed actress Riley Keough, to help her finish her long-gestating memoir. A month after making that request, Presley died at the age of 54 following a period of ill health. The book that made its way to shelves is an obviously incomplete piece of work, with Keough providing her own perspective on her mother's life as well as some context for moments left unsaid. It's truly a book of two halves, both a sharp and conversational memoir and a dissection of grief from the person left behind.

Lisa Marie was only nine when her father died. Being the daughter of the King was a blessing that came with more baggage than one mere girl can ever truly control. It's obvious from Presley's own words that she adored her father, who could be loving and humorous but also lived in the cloistered fantasylands of both Graceland and Las Vegas, never forced to confront real life or average parenting. She remembers the good times but also his increasing addictions issues, culminating in his death. She was in the house when it happened and speaks of the frenzy of people gathered around Elvis as he passed.