Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
reviewed by Kelly Carney
Bee never thought that smiling at her mom in the audience during the school music concert would be the last time she would have the opportunity to do so. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple begins when Bee, who is a teenager with a heart condition, is awarded a trip to Antarctica due to her stellar grades. The mother Bernadette is mourning over the loss of her architecture career and her many miscarriages. She uses her over seas assistant in India to do all her everyday errands in preparation for the trip because she is overwhelmed by so much stress. Bernadette plans her revenge on her enemy and neighbor, Audrey Griffin who makes Bernadette’s life miserable. Audrey and other moms at Bee’s school bully Bernadette because she is not involved in school activities.
Bernadette abuses her medical prescriptions, pushing her near the breaking point. In the cold, gloomy, rainy city of Seattle, Bernadette slips into a state of depression. She hates Seattle but hides her feelings with a smile so her husband does not worry about her and will focus on work. Her husband Eugene works long nights to pay for Bee’s trip and starts to notice the family breaking apart. When Bernadette’s big-shot Microsoft husband confronts her about her behavior, she mysteriously disappears. Determined to find her mom, Bee pieces together all of her emails, letters, and any other pieces of her Mom’s secret life that may lead her to reconnecting their family.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is a funny, intriguing story of a family who comes to terms with who they really are. This novel shows the connection and the everlasting love between a mother and her daughter that are inseparable. Learning of her mom’s disappearance, Bee drives her dad away, blaming him for everything that has happened to their family. Throughout the journey Bee rekindles her friendship and love with her father, realizing that he misses his wife just as much as she misses her best friend. This story will take the reader on an adventure with highs and lows, as a father and his daughter will find their missing half.
I loved this story and after I got used to the email format between the various characters, I was fully enthralled in the plot. Semple’s unique writing style is filled with comedy and lighthearted comments that were extremely funny and clever. Semple’s take on the classic novel has been my favorite book to read this year and is a story that will make the reader never want to put it down.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a novel that would be loved by all ages and anyone who loves to get lost in laughter, excitement, and a spunky book that will catch you by surprise.
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