I heard so many good things about Maria Semple’s 2012 novel “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” from the blogosphere that I snatched it up for summer reading especially because I heard it was “divinely funny” and “masterfully satirical.”
Many know by now it involves a quirky, smart family living in Seattle. The mother (Bernadette), formerly a recipient of a MacArthur genius grant for architecture, has turned agoraphobic and bipolar; the father, a star at Microsoft, is crazy-busy developing a program with robots; and their whip-smart 15-year-old daughter Bee, who’s suffered various heart operations as a child, has gotten in early acceptance to an elite prep school back East. For this, her parents grant her any wish she wants, which turns out to be a family trip to Antarctica during Christmas break. But the stresses this puts on them starts to unravel their world and ultimately leads to Bernadette’s disappearance.
Written in the form of correspondences: emails, letters, documents, the novel comes off quite fresh and innovative. The first half I found pretty amusing especially the mother’s emails to a “virtual assistant” in India who does many of her chores because Bernadette doesn’t want to go out of her house or see people, whom she seems to dislike. Bernadette’s definitely a bit nutty and cynical (especially to other school kids’ parents whom she refers to as gnats), but she’s still a bit humorous in her ways and not unsympathetic. Her love for her daughter comes shining through.
With its pieced together correspondences, I wasn’t exactly sure where the story was heading, but Bernadette’s unstable actions begin to take the family to the brink in the book’s second half. It gets a bit more serious, for sure, as her husband attempts an intervention for her, only to find Bernadette’s flown the coop. It’s around then the novel picks up and you’re not sure if the family will break apart or if she’ll be found and they’ll get back together. But along the way you get a good perspective of each of the characters and what they’re going through. I especially liked the brainy teenage Bee.
Perhaps my favorite part of the novel, which I found engaging especially toward the end, is the whole Antarctica trip and the voyage the father and Bee take there trying to find Bernadette. It seems the perfect backdrop for the family’s woes and a lot of interesting detail is given to their travels to the continent, which on average is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. For this particular family, Antarctica seems just the right place to begin the healing, or should I say, the thawing. …
What about you, did you like Semple’s novel? Or did you think it went overboard?
I really enjoyed this one on audio – the narrator was amazing.
Yeah Carrie it seems it’d be a fun audio to listen to! Thanks for stopping by
I wanted to read this one, after getting it for my wife out of the library, but haven’t gotten to it yet. I was intrigued because she was a screenwriter for the show Arrested Development. I’m still intrigued…and now even moreso after reading your review. 🙂
Thanks Bryan. Yeah I wasnt sure at the beginning but I liked it by the end. It’s quirky for sure.
I haven’t read this yet. Sounds like wacky fun even though I know a few bipolar people and I don’t think their lives are — fun. (Don’t we all know someone these days with the diagnosis? No wonder it’s showing up in so many books/movies.) Taking odd trips is a symptom — Antarctica — an unusual choice for such a trip. I’ll put it on the tar list.
Yeah I was a bit concerned how the author was going to treat the bipolar issue. It gets more serious toward the middle & turns more sensitive toward the end. I know people who have been diagnosed too and I agree — it’s no laughing matter. Thanks Barbara
I’m one that enjoyed every minute of it. The narrator was absolutely fantastic. I am not certain I would have enjoyed it half as much had I read it in print. I though Semple did a great job balancing Bernadette’s mental issues, and Bee is one of the best young characters I’ve read in a long time. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Wow the audio of it sounds good! Thanks Michelle. I will be curious about what this author does next.
I listened to this one and adored it. The narrator was outstanding. I wanted to visit Antarctica when I was done.
Yeah I agree Kathy about Antarctica. The audio sounds excellent
I just finished this, since I finally convinced my book club to read it. I was sure that I would enjoy it, but thought that everyone must have overinflated how great it was. I was blown away. It’s tough to write a novel that is completely unique without going completely off the map and Semple totally nailed it.
Yeah Shannon, I wasn’t too sure at the beginning but by the end I really liked it. Thx for stopping by