A review by livlosiewicz
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Jane moves to Boyne City, Michigan, and is immediately smitten with Duncan Ryfield. The thing with Duncan is, though- he seems to be inextricably linked to the entire town. Whether it be that he slept with the sister of the doctor’s secretary, or that he mows the lawn of his ex-wife Aggie, or that his coworker Jimmy lets himself into Duncan’s apartment whenever he feels like it- Jane likes Duncan, but she’s not sure she’s prepared for all of this. And yet, life has a funny way of happening, and after an unexpected turn of events, Jane soon finds herself tied in this web of small-town folks: Duncan, Aggie, Jimmy. Spanning the course of almost two decades, this is a novel about life- not the big things, but how we manage all the little things in between. 
[I’m having trouble explaining the plot in a way that doesn’t give it away] 
 
Pros: 
·This is one of those books that made me all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s just a delight. 
·I loved the characters- each so unique and specific and messy in their own way. While there wasn’t a central plot, none of the details felt pointless to me because everything contributed to our understanding of the characters. I felt like the characters were my friends by the end of the novel. No character was depicted as perfect, and we got to see different sides of most of them, which I really, really liked. I ESPECIALLY adored Jimmy, and my heart grew three sizes whenever he was on the page. 
·I loved the way we read Jane’s raw emotions, even when we see her being perfectly kind outwardly. Heiny captures the casual complexity of being a person so well. 

Cons: 
·none? The age gap between Duncan and Jane is a little big?? 
 
Recommendation: Highly recommend to those who like character-driven stories. This is a feel-good, simple but beautiful novel about the messiness of human connection. Avoid if you don’t like books without main driving plots/character-driven books. 
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