Where’d You Go, Bernadette

5/5 stars

WOW! Why did I like this book so much? Was it the eccentric family? The snarky honesty? The over-the-top characters? The unwavering loyalty between mother and daughter? All of the above? I am going to try really hard not to spoil anything.

Maria Semple may have just written one of my favorite books ever. I found it to be satirical and hilarious, although I can see how some may not find the sarcasm to be that funny. And yes. I found it sad at times, too. Agoraphobic Bernadette is misunderstood, but her daughter gets her. Her daughter remains loyal. 

My heart broke when Bernadette disappeared. No, that’s not a spoiler. That is on the back of the book and the title is Where’d You Go, Bernadette. The adoptee in me was crying as Bee, Bernadette’s daughter, never wavers when searching for her mother. Her devotion to her mother remains strong.

I was hating all of the right characters and sympathizing with the rest. Semple perfectly depicted her characters to be exactly what I needed them to be. And then, there were some welcomed surprises.

The style was unlike anything I had ever read, and I thought it worked perfectly. Almost the entire novel was correspondences between various characters (emails, letters, faxes), with some narration sprinkled in. I can see how some may not like it, but I loved it. I had no clue what I was getting into, but I am so glad I read it.

I found it to be a quick read (I finished in 2 evenings). I read so many mixed reviews and posts saying people couldn’t finish it. I have no clue why! I thought it was incredible.

This is now one of my favorite books of all time. It had me laughing, almost made me cry, and made me appreciate my mom a little more 🙂

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