Weather, by Jenny Offill

Like Offill’s "Dept. of speculation," which I loved, "Weather" is narrated in very brief, episodic paragraphs. It is also quite short, just 201 pages, and there is a temptation to rush through it, which is a mistake. Lizzie, whose thoughts we are privy to, works as a college librarian, having dropped out of her PhD program when her drug-addicted brother hit bottom and needed her help. He’s now recovering, engaged, and soon has a daughter, the care of whom will send him into a new tailspin. Lizzie is married to Ben, a classics major now working from home coding educational games, and they have a young son, Eli. As a side gig, she begins answering the mail of a former mentor, Silvia, who travels the world lecturing on climate change and environmental degradation. All these threads – the minutia of daily life in the family; the worries about her brother, who fears he will harm his daughter; her involvement in the brother’s problems – again – effect on her marriage; and the depressing environmental and political scene (this is set in current times and the 2016 election is another gloomy storm) could be very depressing. It’s not – it’s thoughtful, sometimes quite funny, and gives the reader a lot to reflect on while engaged in the book and thinking about it afterwards. Important and good. 201 pp.