Krystal Evans writes her first book, Hottest Girl At Burn Camp
- Edinburgh-based American stand-up Krystal Evans has written her memoir, Hottest Girl At Burn Camp: How To Survive A Fire And A Chaotic Mother (Without Losing Your Sense Of Humour)
- Expanding on the tragic events that Evans described in her 2023 Edinburgh Fringe debut, the book recalls the fatal night when she was 14 and the home she shared with her mother and little sister in Washington State burned down
- The comic also writes about growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother, and having a wolf for a pet
Krystal Evans has written her first book, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
In her memoir Hottest Girl At Burn Camp: How To Survive A Fire And A Chaotic Mother (Without Losing Your Sense Of Humour), the Edinburgh-based American stand-up recounts the fatal night when she was 14 and the home she shared with her mother and little sister in Washington State burned down.
Published on 19th June by Octopus imprint Monoray - which has previously put out Geoff Norcott's memoir and last month Daniel Foxx's Bedtime Stories For Privileged Children - the book expands on the events she recalled in her Edinburgh Fringe debut last year, recounting how she narrowly escaped the blaze by breaking a window and jumping out head-first, suffering burns, smoke inhalation, PTSD and the tragedy of losing her six year-old sister.
Described as the "story of how she grew from the ashes of disaster into the confident, funny, and (reasonably) well-hinged adult, mother and comedian that she is today", Evans writes about growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother, and having a wolf for a pet.
From the indignities of being rejected from "burn camp" for being "too attractive", to putting up with a succession of her mother's increasingly dangerous and shady friends and partners, Evans and her sister Katie's childhoods were marked by adult chaos, inappropriate behaviour, and never knowing what the next day would bring.
The tale of "a family dangerously close to the edge, and of a girl struggling to make her way into adulthood once the smoke clears", it's billed as "funny, tragic and inspiring".
Performed at the Monkey Barrel, the Hottest Girl At Burn Camp show was a Fringe hit, attracting a clutch of four and five star reviews, with The Independent calling it "self-assured, potent, shocking". The Telegraph praised Evans' "natural way with timing and phrasing ... mixing flip remarks and home truths."
In an interview that she gave to the London World website last November ahead of a run of performances of the show at the Soho Theatre, it was also reported that Evans is planning to make a radio documentary about the creation of her debut hour.
You can pre-order the book below.
Krystal Evans - Hottest Girl At Burn Camp: How To Survive A Fire And A Chaotic Mother (Without Losing Your Sense Of Humour)
When Krystal Evans was 14, the house that she shared with her mother and little sister burned down. Krystal narrowly escaped by breaking a window and jumping out head-first; suffering burns, smoke inhalation, PTSD - and the unimaginable tragedy of losing her six year-old sister. But, horrific as events were, the account of what led the family to that fatal night, and how they coped with its aftermath, is a richer and more complex story.
Writing with skill and candour to find light in the darkest of places, this is Krystal Evans's story of growing up poor in America, living with a mentally ill mother, and having a wolf for a pet (really). From the indignities of being rejected from 'burn camp' for being 'too attractive', to putting up with a succession of her mom's increasingly dangerous and shady friends and partners, Krystal and Katie's childhoods were marked by adult chaos, inappropriate behaviour, and never knowing what the next day would bring.
The Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is Krystal's story of how she grew from the ashes of disaster into the confident, funny, and (reasonably) well-hinged adult, mother and comedian that she is today.
At the same time, funny, tragic and inspiring, it is the story of a family dangerously close to the edge, and of a girl struggling to make her way into adulthood, once the smoke clears.
First published: Thursday 19th June 2025