Life, and Other Inconveniences, Kristan Higgins
Synopsis: Life and Other Inconveniences
Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother, Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of her young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes and built a fashion empire respected the world over, burying her grief in her work, even if it meant neglecting her other son.
When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on Genevieve’s doorstep. The matriarch took her in and reluctantly raised her — until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to strive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.
So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?
Diane-Lyn’s Review:
There were parts of Life and Other Inconveniences that I liked, and other parts I could have done without. Overall, this was a good read that I’d recommend. I enjoyed the balanced themes of struggle and strength, choices and forgiveness, love and dysfunction. I found myself drawn into the perfectly imperfect lives of this high-caliber family, complete with their own plethora of tragedy, burdens, and secrets. Most gripping was the heart wrenching, unsolved mystery of Genevieve’s beloved son, Sheppard. Higgins did a brilliant job of pulling the reader into Genevieve’s journey of torment and heartbreak, longing for her son with no answers about what happened, where he was, or even if he was dead or alive.
Each chapter is written through the point of view of the main characters, giving each a “voice” that allowed the reader to know them more deeply; to tap into their raw emotions and to understand the histories that shaped them. These shifts were both poignant and seamless. Well done!
This novel was good overall, but not perfect. There were several points in the story where I found the relationship between Emma and her teenage daughter, Riley, to be a bit nauseating in a too good to be true sort of way. Emma and Riley never fought. In fact, Riley was a teenager who never disagreed with her mother, behaved perfectly, was always in a good mood, and even held her mother’s hand. In what world are teenage girls that easy and agreeable? I would have better appreciated this relationship if it had been more realistic, messier, and more relatable. It just felt very out of touch and contrived.
Of course, in any story line, it makes sense for an author to bring characters together into romantic relationships. But again – this felt forced. contrived, and a bit too perfect. In fact, there were times during the second half of the book when it felt more like I was watching an episode of The Love Boat than reading a novel.
All in all, Life and Other Inconveniences is worth reading. Lighthearted at times, heavy at others, this novel is well balanced. It offers a complex cast of characters that form a flawed, yet likable, family – all struggling to understand each other, all just doing their best. Check it out!
Happy New Year!
Best,
