Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Where'd You go, Bernadette is a satirical epistolary novel from Maria Semple. This was a different sort of genre than my usual go-to and I loved it, it was so funny.

When Bee receives perfect grades in school, her parents promise her that she can choose any gift she wants as a reward, and Bee opts for a family trip to Antarctica. However, her mother Bernadette, is less than thrilled with the idea. Back in her prime, Bernadette was a successful architect, and was awarded a MacArthur genius grant. At the end of her majorly successful career, an important project went wrong and Bernadette began to lose her psyche. Her and her husband Elgie moved to Seattle where he took a job at Microsoft. Over the years, Bernadette developed a severe agoraphobia and refused to take any part in the community at all. She even hired a virtual assistant in India to do everything for her, down to the most minuscule of errands.

At the thought of traveling all the way to Antarctica, Bernadette's anxiety shoots through the roof, and she disappears leaving her daughter Bee to try and make a trail to her by going through all her emails, letters, and essentially her entire virtual life.

This book was so quirky, I just loved all the characters. There was the neurotic neighbor Audrey who was relentless about getting Bernadette to trim her blackberry bushes. And then of course, Bernadette herself, who never failed to entertain. Even when she hated absolutely everything around her, she would have done anything for her daughter Bee whom she loved endlessly. I enjoyed reading along as Bee unearthed clues about her mother's life by reading her emails and thoughts. I thought it was a very clever way to tell the story and it certainly enhanced the character of Bernadette. This book is definitely one I recommend!