Songs Without Words

by Ann Packer

Ann Packer’s debut novel, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, was a nationwide best seller that established her as one of our most gifted chroniclers of the interior lives of women. Now, in her long-awaited second novel, she takes us on a journey into a lifelong friendship pushed to the breaking point. Expertly, with the keen introspection and psychological nuance that are her hallmarks, she explores what happens when there are inequities between friends and when the hard-won balances of a long relationship are disturbed, perhaps irreparably, by a harrowing crisis.

Liz and Sarabeth were childhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth’s mother when the girls were just sixteen. In the decades that followed—through Liz’s marriage and the birth of her children, through Sarabeth’s attempts to make a happy life for herself despite the shadow cast by her mother’s act—their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz’s adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters that threaten to engulf the family, the fault lines in the women’s friendship are revealed, and both Liz and Sarabeth are forced to reexamine their most deeply held beliefs about their connection . Songs Without Words is about the sometimes confining roles we take on in our closest relationships, about the familial myths that shape us both as children and as parents, and about the limits—and the power—of the friendships we create when we are young.

Once again, Ann Packer has written a novel of singular force and thoughtful, moving, and absolutely gripping, it more than confirms her prodigious literary gifts.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Book Club, Friendship, Drama, Literary Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

In addition to her upcoming novel Some Bright Nowhere, Ann Packer is the author of three bestselling novels: The Children’s Crusade, Songs Without Words, and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which received the Kate Chopin Literary Award among many other prizes and honors. Her short fiction has been published in two collections — Mendocino and Other Stories and Swim Back to Me — and includes stories that appeared in The New Yorker and in the O. Henry Prize Stories anthologies. Ann’s work has been translated into over a dozen languages and published around the world.

Ann was born in Stanford, California, and grew up near Stanford University, where her parents were professors. She attended Yale University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In 1995 she returned to the Bay Area, where she raised her children and lived for many years. Now, along with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias, she divides her time among New York, the Bay Area, and Maine.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets a four star rating because the story engaged me. That said, I was somewhat disappointed. After reading Packer's The Dive From Clausen's Pier I had high expectations and dove eagerly into her latest work. However, the story is not well written. Some of her phrasing, although grammatically correct is so awkward I had to reread certain sentences multiple times in order to extract the meaning. Far more perplexing is the "voice" element. Packer writes the novel in third person, alternating her focus on four of the novel's main characters. The reader hears the thoughts and feelings of these characters in what I call "second person" manner; you know where it is written in third person but seems like first? I got the distinct impression she really only "knew" two of the characters and therefore the other two did not ring true. Even those two were not entirely authentic, as though she spread herself too thin. Granted their "voices" did become clearer as the novel progressed but by that point I already had developed some disdain for her main players. The fact of the matter is that I simply didn't really like any of them. I spent a good deal of time shouting at the characters for the decisions they made. Ironically, the one character I did have an affinity for was not given a voice save for a short passage in the last ten pages of the book. Additionally, at times Packer drifts into flowery, poetic prose, that intentionally symbolic stuff, that did not fit with the storyline. So, after all my fussing why the four stars? Like, I said, the story engaged me and I did want to know what was going to happen, I could relate to the way friends can drift apart by forgoing contact, and, the truest test of all, I was not quite ready to leave their world at the end of the novel.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the pleasure of meeting Ann at book readings in the Bay Area a couple of times. I LOVE her books --

I didn't realize I hadn't written a review on 'any' of her books. I suppose I was still too new to Goodreads.

Ann Packer writes the types of books I 'melt' into.

Reading "Songs without Words" touched me deeply. I gave this book as a gift to several girlfriends. We all went to the schools and grew up in the area where this book takes place.

In "Songs Without Words":
Two of the characters have been long time best friends. One gets married. One stays single.
The gritty details of 'what-happens' actually paralleled real experiences in my own life. From page 1, I was thinking, "OH, MY GOD, this is all too real".

I'm reading a new novel by Ann Packer -- (just started it this morning) -- If I didn't have my 'warm-water-soaking' pool/sauna community coming over today in 30 minutes --I'd continue reading her new book 'non-stop' the entire day. Its so human and engaging!!!
Each book Ann writes seems to conjure up real universal issues to us all!

Ann Packer is definitely one of my favorite authors!!!!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on tape and made up tasks to do so I could keep listening. In fact, it's the kind of book I end up going around the block several times simply because I want to keep listening. That said, it definitely dragged in parts and there were times I wanted to slap the characters for their interminable internal monologues. So the question is: how can a book be both riveting and boring and at the same time?

Songs without Words is the story of a friendship between Liz and Sarabeth, a friendship consisting of defined roles. Liz is the mother figure, the strong, one the comforter, and Sarabeth is the needy, hopeless flake. Liz comes from an intact family and Sarabeth from a dysfunctional one (her mother committed suicide when she was 16). These roles are challenged when Liz's own daughter attempts suicide.

Okay. So we're dealing with really big issues on an every day level--- which makes for compelling reading. And the meticulous details of the protagonists' lives are both truly engaging and truly boring. Amazon reviews are all over the place with this book. On the whole, however, I'm one of the people who became engaged and almost mesmerized by the fine writing and the exact details. Not everyone loves Andrew Wyeth but everyone has to admit he's a great craftsman. Ditto Ann Packer.

[Jocelynne Broderick]

I couldn't get into this book at all. The thing that made me decide to quit? The author finding it necessary to tell me that Joe went to the kitchen, got a glass of milk, drained that, refilled the glass, and when that was gone, let out a huge burp.

I call that fluff. And the portion of the book I read had way too much.

How about this? Joe had two glasses of milk then went to bed. I already know he's a teenage boy, the burp reference was unnecessary. And I assumed he refilled the glass, unless he's an idiot and got out two separate glasses and filled them each once.

Oh, and this was a kicker: "...." said Brody, feeling much happier than he had any right to feel. A little fluff would have helped me here, because I have no idea why he felt he shouldn't be happy.

UGH!

I feel like I'm being too picky, but still...this book did not have a good balance of detail.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought most of this book was pretty boring and slow. I kept waiting for something to happen or for the characters to stop feeling so sorry for themselves.

I liked Lillian's review of the book so much that I thought I would copy it to mine to say, I agree.
It took me forever to finish this book because it was so depressing. I loved The Dive from Clausen's Pier, so I was psyched to read Ann Packer's second novel. Songs Without Words, though, was just downright bleak with few redeeming qualities. It was a well-written depiction of a depressed teen who cut herself and her family's efforts to cope in the face of this tragedy. But I felt little investment in the characters' recovery process mostly because I didn't like any of them very much. The one character who did have an interesting spark, Sarabeth, soon crumbled into a pitiful mess. I guess I would recommend this book for someone who is feeling down and wants to wallow in other people's misery for awhile.


It also seriously irritated me when the one character spoiled the ending of Anna Karenina. I hadn't read that book and I don't really like that I now know how it ends.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

It all boils down to this: This book is dullllllllll. I feel like I just absolutely wasted several hours of my life. Honestly, I kept thinking something was going to happen to make it all worth my time, but no...it's just dull. The whole story revolves around the friendship of Sarabeth and Liz, who have been friends since childhood and who were brought even closer when Sarabeth's mother committed suicide. For most of the book, the two friends are grown women, and their friendship is tested (although honestly, I don't understand why -- it wasn't satisfying at all) when Liz's daughter creates a family crisis. I just didn't get it. I didn't feel invested in the characters, I didn't understand why Ann Packer thought this idea was worthy of 322 pages, and even though I usually find gratuitous plot twists to be annoying, I think this book sorely needed one. Hey Ann, borrow a plot twist from Jodi Picoult. She's drowning in them.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5. I loved Dive from Clausen's Pier, and after reading a few reviews of this book, I wondered if I would actually like this one. I went for it anyway. I truthfully do think that her first book was much better of the two, but I still found myself intrigued by this book. A lot of reviews comment on this book being boring, or about her descriptions being too detailed, and I originally thought so, too. But once I got into it, I found myself less and less distracted by the details and more and more interested in the story. I don't know what it is about Packer's writing style, but it seems that every time I finish a book of hers, I have two very strange impulses: to start writing that novel I've always wanted to write, and to be more domestic (after the Dive from Clausen's Pier, I really wanted to start sewing and after this one, making lamp shades seemed like it would be a really fun hobby). I also find myself thinking about the characters long after I've finished her books - I think due to her detailed characterizations and descriptions.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

My letter to Ann Packer's agent:

You may or may not be aware of the fact that your client wrote a novel in which one of the protagonists is supposed to be some kind of lampshade maker, and a flaky one at that, to afford living in BERKELEY. IN 2007. In HER OWN HOUSE.

What the fuck?

The woman lives in the Bay area. I mean, if I wanted to read science fiction, I'd get Dune.

She goes out to eat all the time, buys things she doesn't need, never genuinely worries about money. At some point she considers taking out $1,000 to cover her mortgage, property taxes, and bills for the weeks she was depressed and didn't work. Bullshit.

Also, this book should be rescinded until the SPOILER to Anna Karenina is removed. Not everyone has read that piece of actual literature, and it's unfair for your client to ruin it for her readers.

And, this book may or may not be an actual ad for Prozac.

Ugh. Thank you for your time and consideration,

Liz (who also makes coffee in a Krups coffee maker)

Additionally, I'll say I really couldn't stand any of the characters, aside from maybe Sarabeth. I mean, the lack of communication in that family was stifling to even read about. Brody is constantly deleting his emails and sending really 'bro,' comments instead, even to his own son. "Go get 'em!" replaces, "I'm always here for you if you need anything Joeji," as though everyone is afraid of what? Being cheesy? Being vulnerable? You're his dad- you're allowed to be emotionally open with him.

In the meantime, the daughter never seems to get what she really needs from her parents, who are totally checked out, and don't really seem to have hobbies, or close friends, themselves. They're rich and they act like rich people. They worry about nothing. Very superficial. The mom cleans out the abundant cabinets with 409 in her free time. They go out to eat a lot. They mention that she feels 'afraid' in her own city, but none of them seem to be civically minded, or good role models.

The mom waits on them hand and foot, but fails to actually connect with her children or her husband... or even really her best friend.

The good thing I took away from this book was that you really don't have to be very good at writing or developing a story to come up with a novel. Just fill it in with store names, "Ikea, Starbucks, Claire's," repeatedly tell your readers the characters have hit rock bottom, and then, shortly thereafter, everyone will just become "fine."

Personally, as someone who has lived in that area, I would love something a LITTLE more realistic, and a little less, "our ski house in Tahoe, not spending enough time with our local grandparents, groaning, going out to dinner, one trip to 'the beach,' in 6 weeks..." no wonder the kid wants to kill herself. Anyone would with that kind of isolation and monotony.

[Demetra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good lord. What abysmal characters. So much CRYING. I just wanted to yell at them all to get a grip, stop being so freaking entitled, and do something productive with their lives. Ugh!

[Kinga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went from strongly disliking this book to liking it and to eventually becoming indifferent.

It was purposedly plotless and sometimes it worked but others times it didn't. First hundred pages got me wondering - will anything ever happen? As it turned out the first half of the book was building up to the book's only event and the rest of it was just the aftermath.

It was a very meticulous study of how people come close, fall apart, come close again.

I was impressed with certain paragraphs but there were also those that struck me as extremely cheesy and romance novels-like. The descriptions of people's eye and hair colours made me gag a little. The narration was done in the 3rd person but there were constant changes of points of view. Some of them executed rather clumsily which made me think: "Oh, we're in his head now?". That was some really badly done head-hopping.

It is essentially a story about friendship between two women and how complicated such things can be. However, I was more interested in the story that was used as a catalyst.

I recommend "Songs Without Words" to anyone who is interested in reading a profound analysis of sadness and descriptions of various people eating breakfast.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one pretty slowly; I didn't want it to end. It's not one of those books where you want to get lost in its little world, because it feels very real already. Sometimes it's the real side of life we want to escape by reading. Two characters in the book are very depressed, and their actions and thoughts are ones I recognized pretty well.

I was struck by Ms. Packer's dialogue. She has a very good ear for how people talk, to the point that a couple times I had to read passages out loud in order to understand what was really being said. That may sound like it wasn't well written ... and perhaps it was a flaw in the writing, or perhaps it was just lazy reading on my part ... but I found the story to be enriched by these details, even if they were a bit more challenging to follow.

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me forever to finish this book because it was so depressing. I loved The Dive from Clausen's Pier, so I was psyched to read Ann Packer's second novel. Songs Without Words, though, was just downright bleak with few redeeming qualities. It was a well-written depiction of a depressed teen who cut herself and her family's efforts to cope in the face of this tragedy. But I felt little investment in the characters' recovery process mostly because I didn't like any of them very much. The one character who did have an interesting spark, Sarabeth, soon crumbled into a pitiful mess. I guess I would recommend this book for someone who is feeling down and wants to wallow in other people's misery for awhile.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis of the book:
"Sarabeth and Liz grew up across the street from each other, their girlhood friendship deepened by the tragedy of Sarabeth's mother's suicide when the girls were in high school. Packer offers their history in a brief prologue, and the first chapter of the novel finds Liz married with two teenaged children and contentedly immersed in her roles as wife and mother.

Sarabeth, on the other hand, is still single, uncertain about her life and pursuing a career as a house stager, someone who creates the ambiance of cozy domesticity in homes people are trying to sell, a job that seems like a painful destiny for someone whose own childhood was interrupted by domestic tragedy.

Of the two, Liz appears to have it all, but when her 15-year-old daughter, Lauren falls into the grip of adolescent depression, Liz's world falls apart. And so does Sarabeth's; Lauren's unhappiness brings Sarabeth dangerously near to the memory of her own mother, and her retreat from Liz is both cowardly and understandable."

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought that I would. I was, like many other reviewers, waiting to see the solid relationship between these two women evolve. I found the book tedious to read truthfully. We were never told the true reason behind Lauren's depression. In fact, I felt that Sarabeth's own depression was highlighted much more so than Lauren's. She was constantly making wrong turns in her life and her own depression, while understandable, was never dealt with. I expected some real turning points in this novel that just never took place.

[Tori Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whine and Challah bread…
I rated but didn’t review this book right away, because I have been trying to word this review in a way that wouldn’t be…well, harsh.
But, I can’t think of anything nice to say about this book. It took me through chapter after monotonous chapter of depression.
It was painful.
Here is a 30 second synopsis, which may count as a spoiler alert:
Beginning: Everyone starts out pretty depressed
Middle: Everyone is really, really miserable

The End: Everyone is depressed again, although slightly less miserable than they were in the middle of the book.

None of the characters appeared to experience any personal growth or learn any lessons, so essentially there was no character or story development, just 300+ pages of misery.

Not recommended.

[Allison Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I loved this book. I loved the characters Liz, Sarahbeth so much. I think what they went through was very realistic and written so well. Although I know some found the male characters in the book to be a little boring I actually felt that they were touched on enough to make it relevant except for maybe Joe as I never really felt I got to know him well. Although he was displayed as your typical teen but with much nicer manners! I actually found Brody interesting, his feelings, his thoughts, his reactions!
I liked watching Liz and Sarahbeths characters grow throughout the book. Lauren was very well written and her attempted suicide and feelings and reactions that followed that were true of someone going through this. All in All loved the book, couldn't put it down!!

[Ann G. Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ann Packer's writing. This book was impossible to put down. Two women, friends since adolescence when one of them suffers tragedy, find their friendship changed in midlife when tragedy comes again. Although the events are highly dramatic, they are believable - these are real people to whom real things happen, and how they fight their way through the mess that normal life turn into is portrayed with such tenderness and yet such unflinching reality it breaks your heart.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was BORING. I kept reading,waiting for something to happen and nothing did. It's the story of a friendship between two adult women. I really didn't like either character. So when their friendship was hanging in the balance the only thing I could think of was I hope these women drive off a cliff holding hands, or something, because otherwise I don't care if they stay friends.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one time when a classy cover doesn't match the book story, which is turning out to be a semi-boring and rather depressing one. I gave up after 110 pages because I can't imagine a friendship between two women being like this, and well ... frankly I don't care how it ends.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awkward writing and one-dimensional characters abound in this pointless tale of two lifelong friends who have a falling-out.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. It is the second one I read by this author. Made me think about friendships and family.

[Caitlin Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me forever to finish partly because I’m so busy, and partly because it was a very slow read. The beginning was boring but something about Sarabeth’s character made me stick with it and read until the end. It had a very bittersweet ending :)

[Lloyd Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Ann Packer at Books, Inc., Palo Alto, in late November for Small Business Day. Each of the local bookstores had authors coming during the day to help customers choose books. I didn't know that Ann was going to be there in the early afternoon, but I'm glad she was. She's written 2 novels and 2 books of novellas/short stories. Since I'm a novel (double meaning?) kind of guy, we talked about which of her 2 I should read. We picked one, she signed it, and I read it. It's Songs without Words, and it's darn good. Here's the rundown from the back of the book:

"Liz and Sarabeth were girlhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth's mother. In the decades that followed, their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz's adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters, the women's friendship takes a devastating turn, forcing Liz and Sarabeth to question their most deeply held beliefs about their connection."

As many of you know, I'm a big fan of a genre that goes by many names - women's fiction, chick lit, literary fiction, among others. Bottom line is that I like books written by women about women. Does that mean I lose my man card? Some (maybe many!) would say that it's too late. That I lost it long ago. Well, gosh darn it, so be it.

Several elements of Songs without Words resonated with me immediately.

1. Ann does a great job of setting up the story in her prologue.
2. The story grabs you immediately.
3. You learn on page 3 that Sarabeth's mother committed suicide. This is like C. Lee McKenzie's The Princess of Las Pulgas (our RBC author/book for March) when we find out on page 2 that Carlie's dad died.
4. Ann's writing reminds me a little of Meg Waite Clayton's writing. That's obviously a good thing.

And then there were other parts of the book that I liked:

1. The story takes place in the Bay Area. El Cerrito is mentioned. That is right next to Albany, where I grew up. And Montclair in Oakland is also mentioned. I moved from Albany to Oakland and spent lots of time in Montclair. Recognizable geography is always fun.
2. The book is told from the point of view of 4 people - Liz and Sarabeth, of course, along with Liz's daughter, Lauren (my younger daughter's name!), and Brody, Liz's husband. And here's the thing - I absolutely cared about all of them.
3. Sarabeth goes to a movie theater called the Albany Twin. This is where I saw my 1st movie with friends. I was probably around 13.
4. The word perspicacious is used to describe Sarabeth. I specifically remember my father using that word with me when I was young. He never substituted a small word when the bigger word was what he wanted to use.
5. Jim, Sarabeth's friend, comes to pick her up. She gets in the car, and he waits until she is buckled in before he drives away. I do that. I know sometimes it's a little annoying to family and friends. But I can't help myself.

I enjoyed Songs without Words and, just like with Linda Gunther's Endangered Witness, I intend to read Ann Packer's other novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier. Ann, can I get you to sign it for me?

[John Otto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't make the mistake I did and confuse Ann Packer with Ann Patchett. Ann Patchett wrote some very good books, including Bel Canto and Truth and Beauty. That's the author I thought I was getting when I checked out Songs Without Words.

I would call this "chick lit" except that it does a disservice to all the chicks I know and like. It probably would be better labeled as "writers workshop" lit. Some time, some place, someone told Packer that lots of detail enrich a story. It does, when used with discretion. But there should be a point to the detail. It should show you things about the character or plot that help you better understand the story. Pointless detail makes you want to scream "get on with the story!!!"

The story is about how a family and its friends are impacted when their teen-age daughter tries to kill herself. To complicate matters, the mother's closest friend lost her mother by suicide when she was a teenager. The pressures that this action puts on the family are shown with great insight, knowledge that is probably only learned from first hand experience. (According to my friend, Mr. Google, Packer's father committed suicide when she was a teenager.) The weakest points are the beginning of the book when the family's life is too idyllic to be believable and the end, which is a little too much and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after for my tastes.

I credit Packer with telling a story on a difficult subject, it's just that the book would be so much better if it had been more tightly edited.

[Mai Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, I couldn't put this book down. I was a big fan of Ann Packer's first book, "The Dive From Clausen's Pier," and this one was equally compelling. Both books have a similar mood, I guess some would call it sad, but I think they both capture the world as it is now. It's not like "Songs Without Words" told some amazing new story, it was just told in a way that was so real. A real family dealing with the real problems in a world that could be so much worse. It should be hard to feel so much reading a book like this when people are struggling to survive in other parts of the world, but maybe that's why I liked it so much. I suppose everyone struggles in life, but for the so-called lucky ones, we privileged Westerners, it's more of an internal torment that rips us apart.

[Rebecca I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another audio book from an author I was not familiar with. This is a story about depression and suicide. A topic which is quite pertinent to some of the current events with several well known persons in the news because of committing suicide.
The author tells a story about a teenage girl and the story is seen from the girl's point of view as well as the other people in her family. We get a picture of the everyday struggles that all ages have to go through.
The book was a bit haphazard feeling and I am not sure if that was the author's intention or not. There was a denouement, but I think the real mark of a good author is a strong and satisfying ending which it was not. All in all, worth the read (listen).

[Manik Sukoco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by the novel, Songs without Words. I kept reading and waiting for something to actually happen. It seemed to me the author spent a lot of time telling us about the most unimportant things over and over without a reason. Why was there so much information about Brody's work or sore shoulder or what they ate for breakfast? I kept waiting for something important to happen to Sarabeth who seemed to me to be more depressed or equally as depressed as Lauren. But nothing did.And the fact that she existed just making lamp shades seemed far fetched. If this book was about the friendship between two women, I did not get that at all.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a real keeper. If you've ever had a friend, a cousin, maybe even a lover who was once soooo close and then they weren't, you'll find this book hits the right notes. It's hard to get past some things and sometimes we do get past and sometimes we don't.

[kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

the fragility of human relationships encapsulated in a book

[Lisa Royal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. 352 pages of navel gazing! I felt as if the author parked or posed the characters and then wrote every tedious thought they had.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many reviewers point to how "depressing" and "boring" this book is. Although I didn't find it so, I can see the "depressing" point. I actually found it a rather hopeful story, exploring how someone can be buried in profound despair and still find a way back up to the surface.

And boring? It's certainly character-driven and most of the action is internal, but I was never bored while reading it. I was sometimes annoyed when a character made a choice or came to a conclusion contrary to what I wanted for them, but I wasn't bored. The writing was so skillful and the characters so real, I can't imagine being bored by this book.

I see the book as mainly about the reactions of three women to life. Liz is emotionally healthy and used to acting as the support and the voice of reason to those struggling around her. When faced with a crisis, she's forced to reevaluate her life, but she does so in a sane and healthy manner. Sarabeth had an unstable childhood due to her mother's mental illness and perceives even small events in her life as crises. She's not necessarily the owner of the depression she feels, but she's learned it from her mother and doesn't know quite how to stop it. Lauren is deeply and biologically depressed. The depression originates in her despite a loving and stable home environment.

Packer's description of Liz's "knocked off her feet but picking herself up and dusting herself off" reaction to her daughter's suicide attempt and Sarabeth's "can't get out of bed" reaction to, well, life, was an interesting juxtaposition. Sarabeth's relationship with her mother left her with this kind of learned helplessness that I suppose is somewhat pathetic. She believes that she can't possibly do anything to change or improve her situation, so she doesn't try. She relies on well-adjusted Liz to pull her out of each funk, and when Liz isn't there, it sends her into a tailspin, but it also forces her to choose whether she's like her mother or whether she can make a different choice. That's a hopeful element in the novel, although I am a little skeptical about just how fully recovered Sarabeth seems to be at the end. Can someone really make that big a shift in their lifelong thinking that quickly?

Being inside Lauren's head was just riveting to me. I felt frustrated that she couldn't just stop thinking her negative thoughts, but at the same time it was written in a way that made sense (and felt familiar): How could she possibly not think that way? How could she think those things about herself, believe them, then let them go? The answer is pretty mundane (therapy, medication), but the internal journey is what I find interesting. And I like that even when she's feeling better, there's the recognition that she's not done. She's going to be confronting these thoughts throughout her life, probably. Her task isn't to vanquish them once and for all but to develop skills to cope with them as they come up.

What was strange to me about this book is that I wasn't bothered that much by Packer's mention of the names of businesses and streets in the story. Usually this kind of name-dropping drives me nuts. I admit, I think the mention of Berkeley Bowl and Andronico's didn't further the story, but the street names I think actually enhanced the story. Maybe it's just because I lived in the Bay Area recently and the street names helped me place the characters in the world and see better where they were. Or maybe it's just that excitement of, "Hey! I know where that is! And it's in a book! I must be important!"

Perhaps it's just because I'm a boring, depressing person who gets a kick out of reading about places she's lived, but I liked this book, and I look forward to reading The Dive from Clausen's Pier.