Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Pages : 330
Genre : Mystery, Women’s fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating : 4,5/5
From the back of the book :
Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle–and people in general–has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence–creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.
My Thoughts :
I didn’t manage to write a satisfying and concise summary of the book, but the back of the book says it well ; Where’d You Go, Bernadette was compulsively readable and filled with fun and touching moments. It’s simple, really; if you’re looking for a light, entertaining and heartwarming mystery, this is the book you need!
The format itself makes the book a very pleasant read : told mainly through emails, interviews, bills and such, it offers an almost complete view of Bernadette as seen by those close – or not so close – to her. Daughter, neighbors, colleagues, all have their own thoughts on Bernadette and her disappearance, and we get to see a bit of the environment that put Bernadette is such a state of anxiety. Surprisingly, this is a format that worked really well for the story; I didn’t feel there were too many voices or a disconnect between them at any time.
The best way to explain how Bernadette’s story made me feel as I read it is to compare it to the movies’ comedic genre : it’s entertainment, and you do have to suspend your disbelief to really get on board with it. Not too much : it is still a realistic fiction, after all. But if you accept to go along with the characters’ choices, it pays off with an original story, heartfelt moments and a very true-to-life approach to anxiety. I’ve lived with anxiety for some years now, and this book was one of the few on the subject I could actually relate to.
I wish I had more to say about this book because I absolutely adored it. It was unique, and I can’t compare it to anything else; satirical at times, touching at others, I had many chuckles and already want to reread it. A favorite of 2012 – one you definitely need to pick up!
