14. Goodnight Nobody

I read Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner several years ago and really enjoyed it. Somehow (though debatable whether this was a mom or BFF Katy purchase) Goodnight Nobody ended up on my bookshelf. I had to read this book simply because had an Ugly Doll on the cover! (I fell in love with Ugly Dolls when I was working one summer in upstate New York. I thought they were quirky and awesome and fantastic and all things whimsical and childish but I knew my siblings would never understand and I couldn't justify spending that much money on something they'd put in a yard sale so my niece and nephew did not get Ugly Dolls upon my return. I hate it for them. Those dolls are AMAZING!)

Anyway, the Ugly Doll hooked me. The dead suburban housewife reeled me in. I loved a good murder mystery but not the creepy kind. This story was lighthearted and funny and romantic. There were screaming kids, and dirty houses and the quirky best friend who'd do anything to mend a loved one's broken heart. It had the necessary villains that you weren't sure you didn't actually love and the good guys who could have just been villains in disguise!

One of my favorite aspects to this novel was the fact that the characters were real. Kate was an overworked, stay-at-home mommy who had 3 little ones and a husband who just didn't get it. She wanted more. She wanted to not look frumpy. She wanted to impress the mom's on the play ground. Just once she wanted to be the mom who picked her kids up on time. She never dreamed she'd be the one to find the body of one of those women she'd tried so desperately hard to impress. I greatly identified with her need to be something more, to show those around her she had potential. Just today I knew I was going to be in a room full of women who wouldn't have cared if I smelled like a wet dog (okay, probably that's going a little far) but I still spent an hour picking out the right outfit and stressing when my hair simply sucked.

Women want so badly to have perfection. We compare ourselves to our neighbors and our friends, and, whats worse, our enemies. We desperately want to be what they are. We make ourselves miserable trying to lead someone else's life. Several years ago my mom bought me a little plaque that I have in my kitchen. It reads: You Were Born An Original. Don't Die A Copy. I think it speaks to women everywhere who just want something a little more. Don't want what other women have, it's already taken. Fight for what YOU want. I think Kate, against her husbands wishes, and against her common sense, did just that. It almost killed her, but she did it.

Stories like this are hard to read when the plots are so thick you can't see the end in sight. I honestly did not guess the murderer until the author revealed the answer to me. That rarely happens. It would have been so easy to get lost in the twisted lives of those affected but this book wasn't like that. It wasn't heavy at all... This gem defines chick lit!

I think its absolutely wonderful that an author can take such hard-hitting subjects and present them in such a lighthearted manner. Not only did Ms. Weiner discuss murder, evil and feminine insecurities, she also presented a frank discussion on the roles of women and scars of infidelity. Having a frank, to-the-point novel could have been too much for the reader to handle. It certainly would have lost my interest but I think she did an incredible job of opening up a line of discussion on such taboo subjects in such a girly book.

In the Conversation with Jennifer Weiner at the back of the book, (yes I'm a nerd that reads those sections!) the question is asked:

"In the book Kevin Dolan says to Kate: "I think it was kind of the usual thing. Bad boyfriends, bad bosses. Aren't there a whole bunch of books with pink covers about stuff like that?" And when Kate traveled to London to see her mother, she purchased "two paperback novels with candy pink covers." Was the reference to these pink book covers intended as a statement about chick lit?"

Jennifer Weiner's response is spectacular!

"Heh. Yes.... The point I wanted to make in these two more direct references to chick lit is that yes, these books are accessible and entertaining, and that accessible, entertaining books have a place in the world (like when you've just been dumped, your mother isn't helping, and you're stuck next to an over-inquisitive stranger on a transatlantic flight). This doesn't seem like such a crazy idea, but at this particular moment in time, believe it or not, if a book is "merely" entertaining- especially if the book concerns young women who care about their shoes, clothes, and love lives- it is seen as somehow morally questionable. An infamous recent book review began with its author opining that calling another woman's work "chick lit" is sort of like saying someone is a slut. To which I, as both the author and longtime fan of entertaining books starring smart, funny women who care about their appearance and their romantic futures, said, "Huh?" And "ouch." And "Oh no, she didn't!" Hence, the little shout-out to the books with bad boyfriends, bad bosses, and pink covers. Long may they wave!"

I agree Ms. Weiner and as long as you're writing them, I'll keep reading!

14/52 Books (Currently 5 behind... Oops!)
4439 Pages Read.