A review by bridgettjensen
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

4.0

I love this book; in fact, I couldn't put it down. The text is a compilation of sorts, emails, letters, psychiatrist's reports, gathered together and turned into a book of sorts by the missing Bernadette's daughter. Not only is the story compelling and the "evidence" page-turning stuff, Semple's story asks deeper questions of the reader. What does it mean to be a mother? Can a woman, in fact, disappear when she becomes a woman? What happens when a woman sacrifices her creativity to her domestic life? How well do we know anyone?
I don't see the point in writing reviews or even reading books I don't like. This book drew me in from the first page. The characters are beautiful and human, ugly, ambitious, afraid, and in the end, courageous. Fragile and frightening people (thanks E) as we all are.