Marriage | Book Chatter

Pete and Alice in Maine
By Caitlin Shetterly
Harper, 9780063242661, July 2023, 256 pp.

The Short of It:

Trouble ahead.

The Rest of It:

Pete and Alice are married with two daughters. The COVID shutdowns have just happened. To avoid the crowds and the possibility of illness, they leave NYC and head to their summer home in Maine.

What they don’t expect is to find themselves unwelcome there. The residents quickly notice their city plates, and take action against them. Action in the form of a chainsaw, as they cut down trees to keep them hostage in their own driveway.

Pete and Alice are working through some issues. The idea of being held hostage in a small house, with their two moody kids is not to either of their liking but with the virus and Pete transitioning to remote work and Alice feeling the full weight of parenting in this difficult situation, they reluctantly try to make the best of it.

I’ve recently read a few books that feature COVID as a backdrop and Shetterly does an admirable job of setting the tension. I instantly remembered all the worry in those early days of the pandemic and Pete and Alice are forced to deal with all of it, plus issues of distrust and resentment.

Their marriage is not well. As they try to navigate whether or not to continue like this, Pete gets it in his head to head back to the city. This infuriates Alice. Why doesn’t he feel the need to protect them? Not only from the virus but from their hostile neighbors!

There’s a lot of internal dialogue. We meet Pete and Alice when they first cross paths, we see them become parents, we learn about their likes and dislikes, dreams and disappointments. Marriage is accurately depicted here. Not perfect by a long shot. Hard. The family dynamic is also quite genuine. Two opinionated girls, one who can read the writing on the wall. It’s hard to live and walk upright when your kids can read between the lines.

As difficult as the relationship is, there is time on the beach, picnics, and long afternoons spent reading.

I found the writing to be quite good. I would absolutely read this author again.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Same As It Ever Was
By Claire Lombardo
Doubleday Books, 9780385549554, June 2024, 512pp.

The Short of It:

One of the most frustratingly, endearing reads I’ve ever read.

The Rest of It:

Let me explain that sentence above. Julia Ames walks us through her life as a married mother of two. She includes it all, the doubts, the flaws, the insecurities. We meet her as a young woman, and then a married woman and then a mom. We are taken back and forth in time to when it was good, and when it wasn’t great. And how a brief slip of common sense sends her down a disastrous path. But does it?

It took me a really long time to read Same as it Ever Was. The back and forth nature of the storytelling is necessary but also a bit exhausting. Julia is a frustrating character. She second-guesses too much. There is a lot of internal dialogue as she navigates life and basically, everyday interactions. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and tell her to be more confident but then other times, you just want to give her a hug because she is the definition of a hot mess.

Julia is deeply flawed but also relatable. Her flashbacks of raising her children reminded me of my own experiences raising tiny humans. The overall not-knowing if what you are doing is right, or if you could be doing it better. Her relationship with her husband Mark, is tenuous at best. So there’s not a lot of encouragement going on there.

What is the story about? LIFE. It’s about leaving your single self to become part of something larger. It’s about all the missteps you take as you figure out the kind of life you want to live. It’s about mistakes, forgiveness, and the people who come into your life to help you navigate the ups and downs.

Lombardo’s writing is clear and authentic. Genuine, you could say. As I was reading, there were a million moments where I caught myself saying, “I get it.” Especially the sections about Julia’s adult children and their evolution from sweet toddlerhood to moody teens. It all made me a little sad though, that empty nest thing and the “what’s next?” aspect of life. Life is a series of next steps and this story is entirely that.

As you get towards the end of the story, there is a lot going on, so many feelings as Julia figures out how to interact with her very difficult mother, I mean, who can’t relate to that? But the awkwardness and sarcasm hits you before the sense of loneliness and loss does. This section felt a little long. Perhaps, because it was uncomfortable.

This is not a story you will love. It’s not that kind of story but it’s a story you will appreciate, no matter what stage of life you are currently in.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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