Review: Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Challenges:
Around the Year in 52 Books: A mystery



This books centers on the disappearance of Bernadette. Through documents and chapters written by her daughter Bee, we follow the lead-up to the disappearance and slowly start to figure out why she would leave her family. 

Once upon a time Bernadette was a famous architect, but due to certain events it seems she has gone a little mad. Not enough for serious concerns perhaps, but just enough to be labelled the kind of quirky the neighborhood could do without. In my opinion Bernadette seems to think herself above the people in her social circle, and practically considers herself at war with the other mothers at the school. When Bee claims her prize for getting top grades all year she announces that she wants a trip to Antartica with her parents. They reluctantly agree and we follow the preparations for this trip. Bernadette has over the years developed some form of social anxiety and has essentially outsourced her life and that of her family to a virtual assistant in India who does everything for her. 

SLIGHT SPOILERS BELOW (in cursive)

When the trip approaches we find out that the virtual assistant doesn’t exist and in stead Bernadette has been giving money to identity thieves who are apparently on their way to take over their lives while the family are in Antartica. Bernadette’s husband also decides, after a number of events, that the time has come for his wife to get some help with her mental problems and decides to stage an intervention to get her to check in to a mental health facility. 

I won’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil everything for you, but I will just say that I didn’t really like the book as much as I thought I would. The writing style, including notes and letters from other people and the school etc. was fine. We got to see things from different sides, but it wasn’t groundbreaking, insofar as I didn’t feel it really added anything to the story. When we start to find out what actually happened I must admit I found it hard to believe that things would play out the way they did, and everything just seemed a bit convenient in the end. Which always irks me. 

I gave this book 2 stars out of 5. 


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