And Sometimes Why
With wit and warmth, first novel And Sometimes Why captures the fragile rhythm and unpredictable drama of family life. When Sophia and Darius say good- bye to their teenage daughters one unremarkable morning, they have no idea how permanently their family will be affected by a decision made around the breakfast table. One of the daughters will have a terrible accident, the other will meet a boy. Both events will change their lives forever. The accident will set in motion a chain of events involving Harry, the still handsome B-list celebrity host of a sadistic hit game show; Anton, a sexually repressed unemployed filmmaker; and Misty, who has reached month seven in what was supposed to be a six-month campaign to make something of herself. As Sophia and Darius cope with the impact of the accident on their relationship, their oldest daughter is faced with making a choice between seizing the day and hanging on to the past. All choose unexpected paths to the same conclusion. Profoundly honest, and rendered with a deft lightness of touch, And Sometimes Why is a novel about how quickly life can change and how we must learn to change with it.
Review: Of all the books I've read & reviewed on Goodreads, I probably disagree with the average rating of this one (less than 3 stars!) the most. After glancing at a few reviews and the rating on Goodreads, I suspected that I would not be impressed by this book, and would maybe put it in my stack to donate without even finishing it. Maybe part of it was going in with low expectations, but I really enjoyed this book.
And Sometimes Why is about the McMartin family - husband and wife Sophia and Darius, and their two daughters Miranda and Helen. Helen is in a tragic accident that, in a split section, alters the course of her whole family, and other individuals she didn't even know in life. One of these other individuals is Harry Harlowe, host of a popular game show, who was driving the other car involved in the accident. This novel is about loss, grief, feeling lost and confused, and humans trying to navigate the path their lives will take when life throws them the unexpected. It was all relatable and moving, and I sympathized with the characters, from Helen, whose life is cut short, to her parents, whose marriage is shattered by their difference of opinion over their injured daughter's care.
My favorite character, surprisingly, was Harry Harlowe, game show host. I loved the image of this impossibly handsome man who is meandering through life without any real passion or guiding principle. It was like getting to see behind the mask of celebrity to see the reality of an aimless, unfulfilling existence. I could have happily read a novel completely told from his point of view. And I was disappointed that he drops mostly out of the novel towards the end so his character is left without any real resolution.
The only part of this plot that I found sort of absurd was the other daughter, Miranda. Miranda meets a guy during college orientation, and then, in the aftermath of her sister's accident, first loses her virginity to him and then drops out of school to move to Alaska to live with him in the middle of the wilderness. I thought the whole 18 year old in the wild killing foxes storyline was a bit much, and sort of unbelievable. But I suppose Johnson's point is that grief makes you do crazy things.
A very good debut novel with great characterization that, in my opinion, has not received the praise and recognition it deserves.
Stars: 4
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