Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Ok, so let me just start by saying that this is more of a ramble than a book review! While I want to believe that I’m an avid reader, I am far from it! I love reading but just don’t have much time or energy to finish a book cover to cover lately!
Well, now that’s out of the way… I picked up “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” after seeing the movie trailer a few times in the theater. When I first heard of the line “ If you don’t create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society”, I knew that I had to read the book! Plus, it’s Cate Blanchett!
Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a comedy epistolary novel by Maria Semple following the disappearance of the eccentric genius protagonist. Bernadette Fox is a promising architect who left Los Angeles brokenhearted after her award-winning project the “20 Mile House” was bought and demolished. She soon settled in Seattle with her husband and became a mother to a brilliant girl, Bee. Since her move to Seattle, Bernadette focused on family life and left her budding career behind. The story is written in forms of correspondence between characters through emails, fax, letters and journal entries. Where’d You Go, Bernadette's main plot is her family’s journey in finding Bernadette as she becomes missing while on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Bernadette is sassy, sarcastic and witty and her take on life is just hilarious! I’ve had many laugh-out-loud moments especially on her banters with her over-eager neighbor Audrey, who she sarcastically calls a “gnat”. Semple pokes fun of private school culture, Seattle freeze and the tech world. Throughout the book, it is clear that Bernadette is bored! She is a creative genius whose heart was broken early in her career that made her decide to leave it all behind. Towards the end of the book, Bernadette admitted that she misses Seattle, however, during her 20-year hiatus, she became bitter and started to blame her miseries on the city.
My thoughts on Where’d You Go, Bernadette…
As I mentioned earlier, the line “If you don’t create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society” struck me hard! I can relate! My husband and I ran 2 businesses at one point and I became so stressed-out, however, my pastry shop provided me a platform to create. Following the sale of our businesses, I found myself having so much mental space and time to pursue things I didn’t have the time for in the past. Even with the new-found freedom, I still felt lost for over a year. I later realized that I’m inherently a creative person, not artistic, just creative! Ideas excites me and my happiest days are when I’m creating something, anything!
At some point, I was Bernadette! I was bored and had so much ideas in my head but did not have a platform to express it. Not quite depressed but I started feeling… dull! I had to express myself creatively or I’d go insane! And that’s how this blog was born! Sweet Savory Grace (later changed to “The Sweet Savory Life”) is my creative outlet and has given me so much purpose and joy!
So here’s my not-a-book-reviewer rating… 5/5 stars! Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a light, heart-warming, funny and easy-reading book perfect for those who wants to get a quick mental break from everyday thoughts! You’d also get a good laugh and some inspiration!