Scan barcode
A review by bee_interrupted
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Bernadette Fox used to be an award-winning architect, but after one of her creations was deliberately destroyed she moved away, became a recluse and fell into
depression.
Her husband is worried about her
increasingly erratic and anti-social
behavior and stages an intervention
to have her commited to a psychiatric hospital. Bernadette
isn't having it and vanishes without a trace. Her daughter Bee starts retracing her mother's steps by reading old email, notes, articles etc. in an attempt to figure out what happened to Bernadette and find her.
This book is light-hearted and funny
despite the seemingly serious plot.
However, I didn’t like the style. Bee
tells her mother's story in
present tense but most of the book are just the notes and emails
she read copy-pasted. This doesn't
make for a fluent read and parts of the content of these emails just seem superfluous and annoying to me, I would have preferred Bee just
telling the story in her own words. As it is, I wouldn't recommend this book.
depression.
Her husband is worried about her
increasingly erratic and anti-social
behavior and stages an intervention
to have her commited to a psychiatric hospital. Bernadette
isn't having it and vanishes without a trace. Her daughter Bee starts retracing her mother's steps by reading old email, notes, articles etc. in an attempt to figure out what happened to Bernadette and find her.
This book is light-hearted and funny
despite the seemingly serious plot.
However, I didn’t like the style. Bee
tells her mother's story in
present tense but most of the book are just the notes and emails
she read copy-pasted. This doesn't
make for a fluent read and parts of the content of these emails just seem superfluous and annoying to me, I would have preferred Bee just
telling the story in her own words. As it is, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt