Monday, October 31, 2016

Today will be different, by Maria Semple



Semple, author of Where’d you go, Bernadette, has created an even more memorably confused, conflicted, and engaging character.  Eleanor Flood, almost fifty, has had a successful career as an animator of a popular series and for twenty years has been married to Joe Wallace, hand surgeon to the stars (and current team doctor for the Seattle Seahawks in addition to his private practice).  Their eight-year-old son is named Timby, his name an “autocorrect” by iPhone when Eleanor suggested the name Timothy to Joe when they were expecting.  Eleanor is a bit of a mess and swears that “today will be different;” she’ll be a better mother, wife, and human being.  She’ll stop forgetting dates, times, and people’s names.  In the course of the one day that the story takes place, her life will definitely become different.  The short graphic novel, and the poetry exegesis, bound into the novel add to the eccentric charm of the book.  Hard to describe.  Hard to put down.  259 pp.

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