Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
Alice Buckle AKA Wife 22 takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a married middle-aged woman. Wife 22 wrestles with the phases of her own life and her role involving her spouse and children's lives as well. Alice Buckle takes on an anonymous identity that allows her to participate in a modern 21st century qualitative survey that explores love, sex, and intimacy. Wife 22 becomes perplexed as she gains insight into her self and others through an array of survey answers, twitter responses, face book updates, texts, and email messages. The eagerness to form a therapeutic alliance with Researcher 101 crosses boundaries that go beyond a working relationship. Wife 22 desperately seeks a connection with Researcher 101 and forges additional confusion until the conclusion where she seeks sudden profound clarity. Let's face it, Wife 22 is quite irritating, self-absorbed, and in need of serious attention. Are you considering the unthinkable Alice Buckle with an unidentified individual? Wife 22 has no voice or at least it is displaced through the research project. Denial and no accountability describe this drawn out ridiculous behavior. I wanted to confront Alice Buckle and say confront your family, career and other aspects of unhappiness. All I can say is between yawning that Wife 22 is a whiny, middle class suburbanite. The ending unfolded in a fashion that was rather lazy, superficial, & predictable. The book overall lacks depth and basically is just so cliche.
Alice Buckle AKA Wife 22 takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery through the eyes of a married middle-aged woman. Wife 22 wrestles with the phases of her own life and her role involving her spouse and children's lives as well. Alice Buckle takes on an anonymous identity that allows her to participate in a modern 21st century qualitative survey that explores love, sex, and intimacy. Wife 22 becomes perplexed as she gains insight into her self and others through an array of survey answers, twitter responses, face book updates, texts, and email messages. The eagerness to form a therapeutic alliance with Researcher 101 crosses boundaries that go beyond a working relationship. Wife 22 desperately seeks a connection with Researcher 101 and forges additional confusion until the conclusion where she seeks sudden profound clarity. Let's face it, Wife 22 is quite irritating, self-absorbed, and in need of serious attention. Are you considering the unthinkable Alice Buckle with an unidentified individual? Wife 22 has no voice or at least it is displaced through the research project. Denial and no accountability describe this drawn out ridiculous behavior. I wanted to confront Alice Buckle and say confront your family, career and other aspects of unhappiness. All I can say is between yawning that Wife 22 is a whiny, middle class suburbanite. The ending unfolded in a fashion that was rather lazy, superficial, & predictable. The book overall lacks depth and basically is just so cliche.
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Silver Sparrow is a story of 2 African American families taking place in the historic Atlanta, GA. There is a husband and 2 wives living in the name of bigamy. The author Tayari Jones takes the reader through the lives of daughter Dana Lynn Yarboro and her mother Gwen the illegitimate wife. Gwen and Dana are aware that they are the secret and support James in the life that they have built. In addition there is a supporting character Raleigh that is like a brother to James and provides emotional support to both families. Gwen’s character could almost warrant empathy however the reader cannot forget that she has chosen this path for herself and daughter. Gwen attempts to affirm and validate her and Dana’s worth by demanding equal treatment and opportunities as it relates to materialistic goods and educational experiences. The character appears to present herself as a desperate woman creating unrealistic expectations that cannot possibly conclude well for all. Up to this point the husband with 2 wives does not appear to seem too evil or narcissistic. James Witherspoon appears to be attempting in a very distorted way to juggle his responsibilities as it relates to taking care of his family under the unfortunate circumstances. The author presents part 1 with Dana and Gwen and continues with part 2 the story of the legitimate daughter Chaurisse Witherspoon and wife/ beauty parlor owner Laverne. They are the “normal” family so they believe. They appear to be a stable and functioning household except that they know nothing of James Witherspoon’s other family. The author finally brings Chaurisse and Dana together out of an unusual meeting which at last brings the reader to a long over due expected climax but never quite delivers the intensity it should have. Oh well, we keep reading and wait for something else interesting to happen but it doesn’t. The ending concludes with heartbreak going out to many of the characters and despising James Witherspoon’s treatment of both families. Better character development of James Witherspoon might have made for a more interesting read and his internal emotional conflict with his circumstances rather than basing it around 2 adolescent girls and partial character development of the 2 wives. Also the author would have benefited from integration of all the characters stories rather than the too late split storyline of others. Over all the topic of bigamy was unique and it receives a nod for an attempt on an interesting subject matter.
The Good House by Anne Leary
The Good House by Anne Leary is a fiction-based novel with a 60-year-old protagonist Hildy Good. Hildy Good can be considered many things a descendant of a historical Salem Massachusetts witch, successful real estate agent, townie but an alcoholic is not what she considers herself to be. The story unfolds in romanticized Wendover, Massachusetts with old world charm of natural uninhabited coastal beaches, acres of farmland with horses and local businesses. Hildy Good prides herself in being a multi generational family that has resided in Wendover, Mass and has significant relationships with most of the residents in town by either history or selling homes to newer families that have relocated. Hildy Good is not a stranger to alcohol so much that her 2 daughters staged an intervention and sent her mother to rehab for alcoholism. Hildy has returned from rehab to find all the alcohol removed from her home with the exception of cases wine that was stored in the cellar. Stumbling upon this treasure in the cellar Hildy has refined the rules of rehab and drinks the wine with rules such as being alone, no drunk dialing, or driving because it can cause “jackpots” the term used in rehab to refer to as problems. The wine is good but is not as satisfying until Hildy meets Rebecca McAllister a new resident of Wendover that does not have the bias or towns knowledge of Hildy Goods “drinking problem”. Instantaneously a relationship is forged with summer nights of Hildy binging on alcohol and Rebecca McAllister a woman purging on emotions. Hildy is initially elated to be able to indulge into her addiction at no cost of judgment or accountability. Hildy is experiencing the comfort of the idea of friendship, so why not love? A divorced Hildy demonstrates the tenacity of coping with her ex husband’s previously unknown sexuality and reconnects with Frankie Getchell. In spite of Hildy often referring to her and Frank as an unconventional pair and many other classist remarks loves the feelings of nostalgia from youth that Frank invokes in her. There are many characters of Cassie, Patches, Jake, Peter and Skully that each contributes to the fabric of the story. The story has many highs and lows that comes from Hildy’s mindless chatter that’s going on in her head from youth or the too many details of a mare for my taste. Through the book I found myself being wound up for a moment and than nothing happened. As the reader I was teased just a bit too much. Such as the moments of Hildy at Thanksgiving dinner and sneaking alcohol, hiding in a cellar with her daughter 1 floor above, blackouts with driving, an affair between Rebecca & Peter and not getting caught. I finally just had to relax and just read and realize I am reading a story about human beings experiencing various struggles of alcoholism, extra marital affairs, and a family with child of special needs all living in a not so perfect picturesque town that is unique but not so different from any other.
Any challengers to my review ? By the way I tried to get Yomaris to correct cliché with the accent mark but she was being rebellious. Big shout out to Yomaris for pulling this fabulous website together ! Can't wait for our discussion on Friday !
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on several counts- the first being that further characterization of James would have made for a much better read. The physical manifestation of his inward turmoil (his stutter) did not do well enough to lure much sympathy from me toward him as I was never certain if he was nervous, felt guilty or just found himself to be inadequate or in an awkward situation. At times his role seemed almost insignificant- strange considering that his relationship to both mothers was the catalyst for the story.
ReplyDeleteI also concur that Chaurisse's story and the climax of the novel were too little too late. My conclusion (based upon some premature discussion with Yomaris) is that we are to sympathize most with Dana and her situation. She is the silver sparrow, after all; so it would behoove her to receive most of the spotlight. Where I feel inclined to counter you is that had Chaurisse and her mother been developed further and received a greater share of the plot, I might have been able to side more with Laverne; but as the story stands, my empathy lies with Gwen.
The wonderful thing about this novel (however loosely strung together) is that it challenges the assumptions that we make in society about who deserves to be treated fairly and well. Yes, Gwen chose to have a child with a married man and consciously broke the law by orchestrating a marriage with him. But this act, to me, was the embodiment not only of her desperation but, in a very twisted way, of her devotion to both James and Dana. Had Gwen accepted Raleigh's proposal of marriage later on, I might have agreed that she merited less sympathy; but leaving this choice in the hands of Dana, though a little inappropriate, was further proof of her allegiance to her love for both her husband and her daughter and her concern for her daughter's well-being.
In the eyes of the law today, James would have been forced through child support to provide the things that Gwen campaigned so ardently to receive for Dana. As things stood in the 80's when the novel was set, that would not logistically have been the case. Because of this fact, it seems to me that Gwen was forced to make James realize the gravity of his obligations to Dana through the act of this illegal wedding. Both adults were responsible for having broken the vows that James took with his wife; but only Gwen would have been forced to suffer the consequences had she not coerced James into his position as husband/father to his second family.
The author makes it a point to characterize Gwen as a woman who, for better or worse, works hard to provide and maintain the life for which she opted. In her speech to Chaurisse at the end of the novel, she makes it clear that all she really could have been claimed to have "extorted" from James were the essentials for Dana to make herself a better life- and all of that had to be second hand to the daughter everyone else perceived to be "deserving" given her status as the daughter of the traditional family. It is for all of these reasons that I feel that Gwen deserves a second look from readers as we've all been socialized to side with Laverne and Chaurisse.
Forgive my essay, as you won't have to hear me tonight. I'll spare you guys the second review as most of what I was going to say has already been stated in both this review and my response. All that I would like to add is that I was left yearning more development of Raleigh as well. There's a part of me that feels that Ms. Jones did well to keep most of his inner workings secret; but it seems to me that his loyalties to James weren't elucidated well enough for me to understand his actions throughout the novel; and the suspicious part of my nature wants to believe that Raleigh did as much to sabotage James' status with each family as Dana did. What did he expect Gwen would feel at the mention of the anniversary party that was being thrown on Laverne's behalf? Was he the one who sent the postcard? Hmmm.... One can only wonder.
Iara