I was a big fan of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette so I was excited to receive an advanced copy of her latest novel, Today Will Be Different. Unlike Bernadette, in which the story is conveyed through various snippets of correspondence, this one is told in entirely first person. And what a first person it is.
Narrator Eleanor is a snarky Seattle mom – she kind of feels like a cynical New Yorker. Hearing her describe her day and the people she encounters is like sitting through an evening with your best girlfriend while you drink lots of wine, watch Bravo, and trash talk your friends’ girlfriends.
We tag along with Eleanor on a harried day while she runs into an old acquaintance, takes care or her son who’s faking sick, and tries to figure out why her husband is pretending to be on vacation. She is running around like a chicken with her head cut off, all while her past is running to catch up with her. It was fun to experience a crazy day-in-the-life; I only wish there was a little follow-up for one or two of the characters they had introduced in the novel. These are characters who have played a profound role in Eleanor’s life, but I guess it takes more than just one day to get to the root of any issue.
4 out of 5 stars.
Peaches to Apples 