This book wasn't at all what I thought it was. Which is generally a good thing. Given its popularity and the current movie I had some sense that it was either all about a mother who disappears or a tale of a woman who walks away from her marriage. It is both. And it isn't. Bernadette's daughter's voice acts as an emotional anchor for the piece but there are many voices. It is told in a unique narrative form -- through letters, emails, police reports, etc. This kind of keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen next. It's an interesting take on suburban life which reminded me a bit of Liane Moriarty's work. The theme of the unhappy modern housewife has been around in literature for half a century but the current takes do great justice to our contemporary ethos. All this being said, this isn't a dark book. It has thoughtful, even troubling themes, but it is very much a funny tale, one that had me laughing out loud. Not too deep but nicely engaging, I read the entire thing from cover to cover during an eight-hour flight. Relatable and worthwhile.
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