Today Will Be Different

Remember Where’d You Go, Bernadette? I remember being ambivalent about that book, and yet…not enough to pass over this novel by the same author, Maria Semple: Today Will Be Different.

Basically, this book is one day in the life of Eleanor. She has middle-aged angst as a result of creative talent gone dormant, a son that she loves, but who puzzles her, and a marriage which has gone a tad stale. It doesn’t sound all that gripping until one thing after another pulls her in unexpected directions. Once I began reading it, I remembered Semple's sly humor and the spot-on descriptions of people, emotions, and situations.

Maybe because I feel a little off center right now, I really liked the character of Eleanor in all of her snarky reactions and crazy behavior. I liked that sometimes it was her internal dialogue, sometimes talking to herself, and other times talking to me, the reader.

I bought this book in print so that I would have something to read while at Highland Fitness Center. I’m probably being lured back into the world of print; however, for this book I recommend it. Part of Eleanor’s story is a graphic novel called the Flood Girls. The pages/frames that formed the basis of it are included in the print book (actual artist is Eric Chase Anderson).

For a more eloquent review: NY Times Review of Today Will Be Different.