We met in junior high, where we each had a crush on the boy who's been her husband forever. We've gone from bar mitzvahs to grandparenting, keeping in touch enough to maintain a 62 year friendship..... which is both a terrifying and a gratifying number.
She's published lots of books which have garnered lots of praise, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. She writes about everyday people living everyday complicated lives. I recognize characters from our childhood in cameo roles; I do enjoy a wicked laugh every now and then.
She's taught writing at prestigious places and talked about writing in interviews. I remember (I'm pretty sure) a conversation we had many years ago, where she said that she listens to conversations on the subway and while waiting in line for coffee or a movie and (more important to me) she carried a notebook in which she wrote them down.
Reading her books is like stepping into real life. There's nothing clear cut or easy. Teens sound like teens, old married couples talk like old married couples. But there's nothing stale or predictable in her storytelling, which is tight and lean and deep.
I Don't Know How To Tell You This is a quick read that will make you think and laugh and cry about the same sentence. It happens over and over again; she's a very good writer who tells a very good story. You won't be sorry you took the time.
I checked with Fresno County Library. There are only 5 of her books, most from the late 1980s. The newest one is 2016 so I put a hold on it. If I like it then I'll go to our local bookseller and have them order this newest one.
ReplyDeleteThey are all good reads. Hope you like them; keep me posted?
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