Anywhere but here, by Mona Simpson

I first read this book in 1987 when it came out. I liked it very much and never forgot it. When I read the Steve Jobs biography I learned that the author was his sister, a fact neither of them were aware of until they were well into their twenties. I decided to reread Anywhere but here in the light of this knowledge. Although the book stands on its own without this biographical insight, I found that knowing this illuminated both the novel and my understanding of Jobs’ personality. Much of the story is semi-autobiographical in that Mona and her mother made a similar journey. In the novel, the mother, Adele, and her ten-year-old daughter, Ann, head for California with the hope that Ann will become a child TV star before she is too old. There is no real basis to believe Ann has any qualities or experience that would make this a reasonable assumption, but this has no bearing on Adele’s vision of their future. “Borrowing” her second husband’s Cadillac and his credit card, they set off on an epic journey from Wisconsin to Hollywood, where things don’t entirely go as hoped. Adele’s belief that she can bend any situation to her will and that those who stand in her way can be discarded has eerie echoes of the Apple founder’s personality and business methods. A good book on its own and fascinating to read in light of recent events. 544 pp.