Where'd You Go Bernadette

Score: 4/5 Bookmarks

After moving to Seattle I started a collection of books either set in Seattle or by Seattle authors (often both). Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple was recommended to me by my local Elliott Bay Book Co and I tore through it with abandon.

It was funny, clever, and featured locations right near where I live, so it checked all the boxes for me. It's just been made into a movie staring Cate Blanchett, which I can't wait to see! Have you read it yet? Let me know in the comments.

Synopsis:

When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.