The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
by Matthew Dicks
The Perfect Comeback of Carolyn Jacobs (7/12/2015)
I loved Matthew Green's Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, so it's no surprise that I jumped at the chance of reading/reviewing the ARC of his new novel, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs. I'm so happy that I did this, since most books published in 2015 did not impress me as so many in 2014 did.
Carolyn Jacobs, the title's namesake, is a wimp.
"Passive was the word that described Caroline best. It was almost her way of life. Avoid conflict at all costs. Be aggressively agreeable whenever possible. Fly under the radar. Don't stir the pot. Acquiesce and move on from difficult situations as quickly as possible, preferably with a smile."
Caroline has a husband who loves her, although he doesn't hold on to the same job long. She also has a teen daughter, Polly, who's precocious and has a brilliant mind, although mother and daughter don't talk to each other much. She has a part time at the Sears photo lab and let her customers as well as co-workers who are less talented walk all over her. She attends school events and PTA meetings like any other suburb moms. She flows by without making any ripples in life. Talking about PTA meetings, we are in one when the book begins, Carolyn uttered a four-letter word to a passive aggressive queen bee mom, and shocked the heck out of the audience and herself.
The four-letter word she yelled has awakened something deep inside Carolyn, something she hid away for over 20 years. When Polly got into trouble the next day punching the queen bee mom's daughter in the face, Carolyn pulled her out of school and decided to drive right there and then from Maryland to Massachusetts to confront a bully in her past. A bully that she believed altered her life and her personality for the past years. With her smart and verbal daughter on her side, Carolyn was hoping that the confrontation would wrap up some unanswered questions in her life… Except that Carolyn has another devil to confront than her childhood best friend.
The relationship between mother and daughter was one of the best I've read for a long time. Their interactions were funny at times, and thought provoking at others. The readers can't help but fall in love with Polly. She's everything her mother isn't and more. I can absolutely see my daughter, whom I'm very close with, in her. Polly understands her mother, and life, so well:
"Mom, you've never lost it in your entire life. You're like the total opposite of losing it."
"Mom, someone could be chopping your hands and feet off with a butter knife and you still wouldn't complain. I've never seen you lose your temper once. Not even with me, and I deserve it. A LOT." I love you, but you get walked over all the time and never say a word. "
"Mom, she was the definition of a bully. Exclusion. Isolation. Behind-the-back bullshit. I should know. My generation is the expert in bullying. It's all we ever hear about……..We have assemblies where weirdos in costumes sing and dance about bullying. I've been taught more about bullying than I have about civil war…"
But Polly was not the only character that I loved in the book. There's Spartacus, a blind man who dates Carolyn's mother, George who just lost a parrot and is grieving, Carolyn's mother who owns a pet cemetery. Even Emily-the-bully's family has its own story to tell, but unfortunately we did not find out the ending of their story. Unanswered questions were why this book has only gotten a 4-star from me although it gave me a 5-star reading experience.
Mr. Green understands human relationships deeply. He knows what makes us happy, sad, mad, angry, betrayed and/or loved. He showed his brilliance in Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, and I can still see and feel his heart in this book. I could not put this book down once I started reading it. It made me laugh-out-loud at times and sad at others.
Since I thought "Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend" should be dedicated to all great teachers and introverts, I think this book should be dedicated to all with a loving Mother-daughter relationship and most importantly, to all that were bullied in high school.
Bullying changes lives as much as love does.
How to Be a Good Wife
by Emma Chapman
A haunting tale (9/1/2013)
Haunting.
I always see this word while reading reviews, or blurbs in the cover of hardback books, but have never used it myself. Since I'm usually one of those people who can predict the ending and turns of stories, I'm not easily fazed (maybe only once, while reading Stephen King's Misery, but I was young and didn't know any better). I'm glad there's finally a book where I can use this particular word in my review.
Haunting.
Yes, haunting, chilling, poignant, evocative, stirring, startling, unnerving, disturbing, mesmerizing, terrifying, unforgettable… You can use any or a combination of these words to describe the book. No matter which one, this story will haunt you for a long, long time.
Marta and Hector are a couple living together. Their son, Kylan, has grown up and moved out. Early in the book, we instantly knew something is just not right with their relationship; something seems to be wrong with one or the other. Marta follows the instructions on one particular book her Mother-in-law gave her for her wedding, and her recites the rules in her mind as she carries out the tasks in her day:
"Make your home a place of peace and order."
"Your husband belongs to the outside world. The house is your domain, and your responsibility."
"Never question his authority, for he always does what is best for the family, and has your interests at heart."
Hector goes to work as a teacher, and Marta stays home and does all the housewife duties: clean, cook, shop. She watches the clock closely since she always needed to be ready and have everything prepared, especially the meal, before Hector gets home. Marta does not remember anything before her marriage to Hector. Her whole universe and existence revolves around her husband.
"After a hard day at work, your husband will want a hearty meal to replenish his spirits."
Marta is also on some kind of medications, and Hector always makes sure she remembers to take them. Sometimes he stands in front of her and examines her mouth after swallowing. You need them, he says. However, Marta decided to skip the medicine, and that's when some weird visions appeared. She keeps seeing this frail, skinny blonde girl in various places of the house. She's wearing white pyjamas with flowers. Sometimes she's clean, healthy and has perfect nails; other times, skinny as bones, filthy with dirty bitten nails and the color of the pyjamas grey.
"Never bother you husband with domestic matters."
Who is the girl? Is she hallucinating, as Hector keeps insisting she is, or is the girl a real person in repressed memory? Should Marta continue to take her medication, or skip to see and hear the girl more clearly? Nothing seems to be what it is. Could she trust her instincts and memories? Should she trust her husband instead, or is she losing her mind? Then, things are getting even worse when Kylan return to visit with his fiancée… Marta's sometimes strong, clear and coherent and other times lost, confused and full of doubt narrative will break your heart.
"Always put the needs of the rest of the family above your own."
It's unbelievable that this book is a debut and how young the author was when she wrote the book. Emma Chapman writes with the skill of an accomplished, mature and experienced author. The concept is brilliant, the plot tight and the prosecution smooth. She explores many facets of our society with ease and grace. She did not take the easy way out by providing us with a straightforward answer to the question we are still asking ourselves way after the last page is turned… Brilliant.
Thanks to the publisher and Bookbrowse for providing my advance reader's copy.
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