What do you think?
Rate this book
Why Stuff Matters: A Novel
When Jessica, a grieving widow, inherits an antique mall from her mother she also inherits the stallholders, an elderly, amoral, acquisitive, and paranoid collection. When one of the vendors, a wily ex-con named Roxy, shoots her ex-husband, she calls on Jessica to help bury the body and soon Jessica is embroiled in cover-ups, lies, and misdirection. Into this mix comes Lizzie, Jessica's late husband's twelve-year-old daughter by his first marriage, who's been dumped on Jessica's doorstep by the child's self-absorbed mother and it soon becomes apparent that Lizzie is as obsessed with material possessions as Jessica's elderly tenants. Why Stuff Matters is a compelling ode to possession, why people like things and the curious lengths they will go to keep them. Returning to her fictional Caprock, Waldo turns her wry wit on the lives of those afraid to let go.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 19, 2017
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 7, 2019
What happens when you take a small Texas town, a precocious twelve-year-old, a bunch of cranky senior citizens, and multiple deaths? You get this book!
I enjoyed my visit to Caprock and found myself chuckling throughout especially at the senior citizens that ran booths within an antique mall with overpriced merchandise. Jessica manages the storefront and all of the vendors, which can be a challenge most days. Who's kidding...it is every day that they are a challenge! On top of that, her deceased husband's first wife drops her daughter at Jessica's and just expects her to take care of Lizzie. Let's just say Nicole is quite flighty. There are times during the book that I thought Lizzie stole the scene with her antics, teenage drama, and just wanting to be included.
The antique mall was a family with all the good and bad that accompanies being a part of a family. They bickered but had each other's back when the situation called for support. I'm not sure which of the seniors caught my eye but I have to say that Roxy was a pistol and knew how to play the "old lady" card with the detective. Jessica is a mother hen to these seniors, settling their squabbles and sorting out their lives once they die. I applaud her efforts to get them to leave a will or at least what they want to happen to their belongings in their booths should the unspeakable happen. But the vendors are like most humans and do not want to address the elephant in the room.
This book has a little bit of everything and could be set in any smaller town, maybe even your own. There is mystery, deception, romance, and friendship that will test all boundaries.
We give this book 4 paws up.
I enjoyed my visit to Caprock and found myself chuckling throughout especially at the senior citizens that ran booths within an antique mall with overpriced merchandise. Jessica manages the storefront and all of the vendors, which can be a challenge most days. Who's kidding...it is every day that they are a challenge! On top of that, her deceased husband's first wife drops her daughter at Jessica's and just expects her to take care of Lizzie. Let's just say Nicole is quite flighty. There are times during the book that I thought Lizzie stole the scene with her antics, teenage drama, and just wanting to be included.
The antique mall was a family with all the good and bad that accompanies being a part of a family. They bickered but had each other's back when the situation called for support. I'm not sure which of the seniors caught my eye but I have to say that Roxy was a pistol and knew how to play the "old lady" card with the detective. Jessica is a mother hen to these seniors, settling their squabbles and sorting out their lives once they die. I applaud her efforts to get them to leave a will or at least what they want to happen to their belongings in their booths should the unspeakable happen. But the vendors are like most humans and do not want to address the elephant in the room.
This book has a little bit of everything and could be set in any smaller town, maybe even your own. There is mystery, deception, romance, and friendship that will test all boundaries.
We give this book 4 paws up.
February 22, 2021
A few years ago, I read Jan Waldo's 'Old Buildings Of North Texas'. I was attracted by the cover and the title which together, to my English eyes, promised something exotic and quirky. Which it was, but not in the comfortable see-the-sadness-that-underpins-this-eccentricity way that something English and quirky might have been.
This was a book about addiction where the addict is not on a Twelve Step path to redemption. She's seeking to recover, not redeem her life. As she put it '“I’m working to get better not to be better”. I loved the honesty of that voice. That Jen Waldo combined it with a (to me) exotic piece of North Texas by having the heroine take up Urban Exploring as a hobby was an added bonus. It felt real and took me somewhere new.
'Why Stuff Matters' is equally quirky and exotic but, to my surprise, was in many ways a darker tale than 'Old Buildings In North Texas'. The exotic part of the story for me is that it describes an Antiques Mall in a small town in North Texas where most of the traders have started their business after retiring from whatever they did in their previous lives. Many of them are in their eighties, with all the frailties and challenges that brings and yet they don't want to think about either death or change. They hoard their stock and hold it to themselves with a protectiveness born of paranoia and greed. Their stuff is what matters to them.
These people do not at all resemble the mostly upper-class, pretending-to-be-upper-class, or too artsy or too lazy to make it in corporate life types who populate English antique markets. Nor are they tough-on-the-outside-but-cute-on-the-inside seniors. These people are tough, grasping, selfish and tenaciously holding on to what they see as their valuables. They are also larcenous and prone to violence. As we find out, they can be lethal when pushed.
Yet, surprisingly, that's not the dark part. The darkness comes from the narrator of the story, Jessica Hockley. She recently inherited the Antique Mall and its collection of cantankerous old folks from her mother, who owned the Mall and ran it for many years.
It took me a while to realise that Jessica, who seems very forthright about her opinions and unhesitating in her actions, is an unreliable narrator. Jessica is drowning in grief. She has lost everything. She has separated herself from her past and treats her present as a dull but necessary meal. At first, I underestimated Jessica's grief. I saw her as tough, unempathetic and practical. Bit by bit I realised that, before grief flood her lungs and stopped her life, she has been a caring person, capable of deep love; a teacher, a nurturer, a fixer of problems. She now tells herself that she is none of those things.
She's almost convincing. But as she deals with the shallow, empty avarice of the old people around her it becomes clear that she can't embrace it. Nor can she keep the distance that she tells herself she should from the twelve-year-old girl, daughter of her dead husband in his previous marriage, who is dumped on her for the summer by her uncaring, self-absorbed mother.. Although Jessica herself would deny it, 'Why Stuff Matters' is the story of Jessica rising slowly from the depths of her grief and finally breaking the surface and taking a breath.
The tone of the storytelling is factual and matter-of-fact- It has something of the flatness that comes from depression. Yet I think the book itself is full of life. Jen Waldo helped me see Jessica, her not-my-daughter guest and the old folk clearly without overtly judging any of them. It was a remarkable and memorable read.
This was a book about addiction where the addict is not on a Twelve Step path to redemption. She's seeking to recover, not redeem her life. As she put it '“I’m working to get better not to be better”. I loved the honesty of that voice. That Jen Waldo combined it with a (to me) exotic piece of North Texas by having the heroine take up Urban Exploring as a hobby was an added bonus. It felt real and took me somewhere new.
'Why Stuff Matters' is equally quirky and exotic but, to my surprise, was in many ways a darker tale than 'Old Buildings In North Texas'. The exotic part of the story for me is that it describes an Antiques Mall in a small town in North Texas where most of the traders have started their business after retiring from whatever they did in their previous lives. Many of them are in their eighties, with all the frailties and challenges that brings and yet they don't want to think about either death or change. They hoard their stock and hold it to themselves with a protectiveness born of paranoia and greed. Their stuff is what matters to them.
These people do not at all resemble the mostly upper-class, pretending-to-be-upper-class, or too artsy or too lazy to make it in corporate life types who populate English antique markets. Nor are they tough-on-the-outside-but-cute-on-the-inside seniors. These people are tough, grasping, selfish and tenaciously holding on to what they see as their valuables. They are also larcenous and prone to violence. As we find out, they can be lethal when pushed.
Yet, surprisingly, that's not the dark part. The darkness comes from the narrator of the story, Jessica Hockley. She recently inherited the Antique Mall and its collection of cantankerous old folks from her mother, who owned the Mall and ran it for many years.
It took me a while to realise that Jessica, who seems very forthright about her opinions and unhesitating in her actions, is an unreliable narrator. Jessica is drowning in grief. She has lost everything. She has separated herself from her past and treats her present as a dull but necessary meal. At first, I underestimated Jessica's grief. I saw her as tough, unempathetic and practical. Bit by bit I realised that, before grief flood her lungs and stopped her life, she has been a caring person, capable of deep love; a teacher, a nurturer, a fixer of problems. She now tells herself that she is none of those things.
She's almost convincing. But as she deals with the shallow, empty avarice of the old people around her it becomes clear that she can't embrace it. Nor can she keep the distance that she tells herself she should from the twelve-year-old girl, daughter of her dead husband in his previous marriage, who is dumped on her for the summer by her uncaring, self-absorbed mother.. Although Jessica herself would deny it, 'Why Stuff Matters' is the story of Jessica rising slowly from the depths of her grief and finally breaking the surface and taking a breath.
The tone of the storytelling is factual and matter-of-fact- It has something of the flatness that comes from depression. Yet I think the book itself is full of life. Jen Waldo helped me see Jessica, her not-my-daughter guest and the old folk clearly without overtly judging any of them. It was a remarkable and memorable read.
December 12, 2019
Jen Waldo’s latest novel, Why Stuff Matters, can be enjoyed on so many different levels. Set in Caprock, Texas the story focuses on an antique mall where the antics of the tenants will cause readers to smile while also bringing into focus the human condition and how people deal with aging, death, and abandonment.
Both the building and the vendors are old. Layers of dust literally coat the shelves and merchandise, while figuratively the same can be said for the people. They’re resistant to change of any kind and will lie, scheme, conspire, and even commit murder to maintain things as they are. That layer of grime not only describes their surroundings, but their lives. They suffer from any number of maladies with almost everyone affected by respiratory ailments because they refuse to clean their stalls or replace the rugs that are so old they’re filthy, bug infested, and moldy. Most of them are involved in some type of nefarious activity vice selling the merchandise in their stalls. In fact, they so over value the items that there is little possibility that a would be buyer will not go elsewhere to make the same purchase. Their connection is not to people but to inanimate objects that should long ago have been, sold, replaced, or junked. Why do they hold onto things that have no intrinsic value and forgo meaningful relationships? Perhaps because everyone eventually dies or moves on leaving them alone with the “stuff” they’ve collected… the sum total of their lives. They also refuse to consider what happens when they die. They don’t have wills or end-of-life designations; they leave that for others to sort out once they’re gone. Oh, they’ll split the merchandise or share equally in any money left behind by someone else because that’s just the way it’s always been done, but don’t ask them to consider any end-of-life planning for themselves. That requires an emotional attachment beyond just their possessions.
The person left to sort things out and deal with these cantankerous old folks is Jessica, a grieving widow who has inherited the antique mall when her mother died. Her passing is only a small part of her grief. Parents most certainly die eventually, but the sudden death of her husband and children in an automobile accident has left her with emotions that alter her sense of normalcy and cause her to be complicit in the questionable and criminal activity of her tenants. She is no longer the caring wife, mother, or school teacher that she was before the tragedy. That person is buried underneath overwhelming grief leaving her to normalize immorality. She goes about the day to day requirements of running the business and arbitrating the grievances of her vendors with a detached, no nonsense, matter of fact impatience, yet not only overlooks drug sales and other unscrupulous activities that she’s aware of, but helps dispose of two bodies that the pink-haired, gun-toting Roxie has dispatched over a collection of baseball cards. She’s numb to the murders and lies to the authorities with incredulous yet somehow plausible reasons for their disappearance. She’s lost everything that she’s ever loved and is indifferent to life itself. Can Jessica ever care for anyone or anything ever again? She’s about to find out when her husband’s ex-wife unceremoniously dumps her twelve year old daughter on Jessica’s doorstep.
Lizzie is the last thing Jessica needs at the moment. She’s been abandoned by a self-absorbed mother, leaving her to fend for herself at a time when she desperately needs a mother’s love and attention. After all, it was her father that also died in that crash. Lizzie needs parental guidance; the one thing that Jessica is unwilling to offer. To compensate, Lizzie begins accumulating stuff of her own. If it isn’t gifted by the vendors, she steals what she wants. She learns about sex by reading lusty pirate and cowboy romances, and takes ridiculous risks to her person by sifting through debris to see if there’s anything of value under the piles of rubble. She deludes herself that her mother is coming back to get her, while Jessica is left to house, clothe, feed and protect her with nothing more than a written consent to get medical treatment in an emergency. Lizzie is a manipulative screwed up teenager who is crying out for inclusion and belonging. She latches onto to Joe, a would be suitor to Jessica and the policeman investigating the missing persons. She also comes to Jessica’s aid when a threat endangers them both. Is there a permanent bond between these three that is in the offing? There’s certainly an evolution to their relationships, but don’t expect any definitive resolution in the end. I got the sense that everything will work out, but fittingly, the author leaves it up to each reader to decide.
Jen Waldo juxtaposes tragedy and comedy with aplomb. She writes with a wit that captures life’s absurdities and creates locales and characters that will remind you of other small towns and individuals you’ve known. Some scenes will cause readers to suspend disbelief, some will cause them to laugh, some to question why people do what they do. All will leave them thinking about the vagaries of life and what they might do under similar circumstances.
Both the building and the vendors are old. Layers of dust literally coat the shelves and merchandise, while figuratively the same can be said for the people. They’re resistant to change of any kind and will lie, scheme, conspire, and even commit murder to maintain things as they are. That layer of grime not only describes their surroundings, but their lives. They suffer from any number of maladies with almost everyone affected by respiratory ailments because they refuse to clean their stalls or replace the rugs that are so old they’re filthy, bug infested, and moldy. Most of them are involved in some type of nefarious activity vice selling the merchandise in their stalls. In fact, they so over value the items that there is little possibility that a would be buyer will not go elsewhere to make the same purchase. Their connection is not to people but to inanimate objects that should long ago have been, sold, replaced, or junked. Why do they hold onto things that have no intrinsic value and forgo meaningful relationships? Perhaps because everyone eventually dies or moves on leaving them alone with the “stuff” they’ve collected… the sum total of their lives. They also refuse to consider what happens when they die. They don’t have wills or end-of-life designations; they leave that for others to sort out once they’re gone. Oh, they’ll split the merchandise or share equally in any money left behind by someone else because that’s just the way it’s always been done, but don’t ask them to consider any end-of-life planning for themselves. That requires an emotional attachment beyond just their possessions.
The person left to sort things out and deal with these cantankerous old folks is Jessica, a grieving widow who has inherited the antique mall when her mother died. Her passing is only a small part of her grief. Parents most certainly die eventually, but the sudden death of her husband and children in an automobile accident has left her with emotions that alter her sense of normalcy and cause her to be complicit in the questionable and criminal activity of her tenants. She is no longer the caring wife, mother, or school teacher that she was before the tragedy. That person is buried underneath overwhelming grief leaving her to normalize immorality. She goes about the day to day requirements of running the business and arbitrating the grievances of her vendors with a detached, no nonsense, matter of fact impatience, yet not only overlooks drug sales and other unscrupulous activities that she’s aware of, but helps dispose of two bodies that the pink-haired, gun-toting Roxie has dispatched over a collection of baseball cards. She’s numb to the murders and lies to the authorities with incredulous yet somehow plausible reasons for their disappearance. She’s lost everything that she’s ever loved and is indifferent to life itself. Can Jessica ever care for anyone or anything ever again? She’s about to find out when her husband’s ex-wife unceremoniously dumps her twelve year old daughter on Jessica’s doorstep.
Lizzie is the last thing Jessica needs at the moment. She’s been abandoned by a self-absorbed mother, leaving her to fend for herself at a time when she desperately needs a mother’s love and attention. After all, it was her father that also died in that crash. Lizzie needs parental guidance; the one thing that Jessica is unwilling to offer. To compensate, Lizzie begins accumulating stuff of her own. If it isn’t gifted by the vendors, she steals what she wants. She learns about sex by reading lusty pirate and cowboy romances, and takes ridiculous risks to her person by sifting through debris to see if there’s anything of value under the piles of rubble. She deludes herself that her mother is coming back to get her, while Jessica is left to house, clothe, feed and protect her with nothing more than a written consent to get medical treatment in an emergency. Lizzie is a manipulative screwed up teenager who is crying out for inclusion and belonging. She latches onto to Joe, a would be suitor to Jessica and the policeman investigating the missing persons. She also comes to Jessica’s aid when a threat endangers them both. Is there a permanent bond between these three that is in the offing? There’s certainly an evolution to their relationships, but don’t expect any definitive resolution in the end. I got the sense that everything will work out, but fittingly, the author leaves it up to each reader to decide.
Jen Waldo juxtaposes tragedy and comedy with aplomb. She writes with a wit that captures life’s absurdities and creates locales and characters that will remind you of other small towns and individuals you’ve known. Some scenes will cause readers to suspend disbelief, some will cause them to laugh, some to question why people do what they do. All will leave them thinking about the vagaries of life and what they might do under similar circumstances.
December 10, 2019
*I was provided a copy of the book for review purposes; all opinions are my own.* Why Stuff Matters by Jen Waldo is not a long book, but it delivers a lot in its 212 pages!
I confess: I read this in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down, and I struggled to write this review because I didn’t feel like I was capturing why it was so good (in light of the disreputable characters and unlikable, um, activities.)
What I will tell you is that it is a delight. An outrageous, messy, cheeky, and sometimes frustrating delight.
While some of these seniors could be simply described as colorful, others are (intentionally) remarkable in their varying degrees of decrepitude, and the whole lot are greedy, manipulative, and mercenary to such a degree that you can’t help but laugh. Most of them are seven degrees of shady and just as paranoid, and I was caught between being appalled by their behavior and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. (Lawrence, the owner of the Christmas-themed booth, is the only of them who has any redeeming qualities, bless him.) So yes, to sum it up, this is a cast of characters that are as unlikeable as they are unwittingly entertaining!
Jessica is the owner of the antique mall which she inherited from her mother. She struggles to strike a balance between making the building and business more functioning while honoring her mother’s memory and practices.
She’s no angel, though, with her own share of flaws, and with a moral compass that is more than a bit questionable. Her participation in Roxy’s, erm, situation was at times so calm and matter-of-fact that it was hard to digest. It becomes apparent, however, that much of her choices are driven by grief, a grief that has made her disconnect or check out, and this humanizes her.
Waldo does well to make me equally uncomfortable and yet protective of the spunky, manipulative, and emotionally messed-up twelve-year-old Lizzie, who has been dumped unceremoniously on Jessica for the summer.
The author’s voice is strong; she writes with a wry wit that does well to balance the sadness just below the surface. The pacing is quick and the characterization is vivid. While her supporting cast is colorful and infuriating but uncomplicated, her main characters of Jessica and Lizzie are spunky and tired and messy and deeply flawed. They grabbed my attention from the start and held it, even when I questioned (and maybe had to suspend disbelief) why Jessica did what she did.
The plot makes no apologies or excuses for some of the less than savory things that occur. It’s a story about grief and resilience and maybe a bit of self-discovery – mixed in with a lot of farce.
Throughout the story, a recurrent theme is how the vendors mark up their goods for far more than they are worth, leaving much of it destined to linger on shelves, coated in layers of dust. There is so much dust lingering in the merchandise, and thus in the building, in fact, that the vendors suffer frequent respiratory illnesses. It shouldn’t be funny, but it is. And ultimately, it swings back to the title of the book and why these things hold such value to them (ignoring their inherent greed, of course):
The reason these people gather these things, display them like they’re precious, and place such high prices on them is that they identify so closely with them.
Out of date, replaced, worn, unclaimed, underappreciated, destined for the trash heap
Jen Waldo, Why Stuff Matters
Why Stuff Matters is a book that made me think and feel as well as laugh. There is a lot that is pure outrageousness, from the gun-wielding Roxy to the vendor who sells used cremation urns – still holding their original occupants. Ultimately, Jen Waldo wrangles a story and an ending out of a mess of a situation and leaves you hoping for the best.
I confess: I read this in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down, and I struggled to write this review because I didn’t feel like I was capturing why it was so good (in light of the disreputable characters and unlikable, um, activities.)
What I will tell you is that it is a delight. An outrageous, messy, cheeky, and sometimes frustrating delight.
While some of these seniors could be simply described as colorful, others are (intentionally) remarkable in their varying degrees of decrepitude, and the whole lot are greedy, manipulative, and mercenary to such a degree that you can’t help but laugh. Most of them are seven degrees of shady and just as paranoid, and I was caught between being appalled by their behavior and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. (Lawrence, the owner of the Christmas-themed booth, is the only of them who has any redeeming qualities, bless him.) So yes, to sum it up, this is a cast of characters that are as unlikeable as they are unwittingly entertaining!
Jessica is the owner of the antique mall which she inherited from her mother. She struggles to strike a balance between making the building and business more functioning while honoring her mother’s memory and practices.
She’s no angel, though, with her own share of flaws, and with a moral compass that is more than a bit questionable. Her participation in Roxy’s, erm, situation was at times so calm and matter-of-fact that it was hard to digest. It becomes apparent, however, that much of her choices are driven by grief, a grief that has made her disconnect or check out, and this humanizes her.
Waldo does well to make me equally uncomfortable and yet protective of the spunky, manipulative, and emotionally messed-up twelve-year-old Lizzie, who has been dumped unceremoniously on Jessica for the summer.
The author’s voice is strong; she writes with a wry wit that does well to balance the sadness just below the surface. The pacing is quick and the characterization is vivid. While her supporting cast is colorful and infuriating but uncomplicated, her main characters of Jessica and Lizzie are spunky and tired and messy and deeply flawed. They grabbed my attention from the start and held it, even when I questioned (and maybe had to suspend disbelief) why Jessica did what she did.
The plot makes no apologies or excuses for some of the less than savory things that occur. It’s a story about grief and resilience and maybe a bit of self-discovery – mixed in with a lot of farce.
Throughout the story, a recurrent theme is how the vendors mark up their goods for far more than they are worth, leaving much of it destined to linger on shelves, coated in layers of dust. There is so much dust lingering in the merchandise, and thus in the building, in fact, that the vendors suffer frequent respiratory illnesses. It shouldn’t be funny, but it is. And ultimately, it swings back to the title of the book and why these things hold such value to them (ignoring their inherent greed, of course):
The reason these people gather these things, display them like they’re precious, and place such high prices on them is that they identify so closely with them.
Out of date, replaced, worn, unclaimed, underappreciated, destined for the trash heap
Jen Waldo, Why Stuff Matters
Why Stuff Matters is a book that made me think and feel as well as laugh. There is a lot that is pure outrageousness, from the gun-wielding Roxy to the vendor who sells used cremation urns – still holding their original occupants. Ultimately, Jen Waldo wrangles a story and an ending out of a mess of a situation and leaves you hoping for the best.
December 10, 2019
I can summarize my feelings about Why Stuff Matters into a single word: empathy. I’m not sure if Jen Waldo intended for a reader to completely empathize with the characters, but there it is. However, that feeling drew me into this novel very quickly. That’s one thing I really like about Jen Waldo - she gets into her stories quickly.
This story is meant to be humorous. I didn’t really take it that way. (Maybe because of the empathy?) I can understand how a reader could find humor, however, but it would have to be dark humor.
Our protagonist, Jessica, gets slapped around pretty good throughout the story. Metaphorically, of course. How could all this stuff happen to one person who is still reeling from a recent personal tragedy?
My Empathy for Why Stuff Matters
The main character inherited an antique mall from her mother. She manages the mall, but she seems to still be a little numb from the recent loss of her husband and twin girls. Watching how Jessica interacts with the stallholders at the antique mall is very entertaining.
All the stallholders have a few things in common. They’re all way past their prime and nearing the bottom of the proverbial hill they’re over. They all like to collect things under the premise of “offering them for sale.” They don’t seem to trust anyone, and they’re all pretty tight with a buck.
I won’t bore you with the specifics of why I empathize so much with the characters, except to say that my empathy made the story very personal for me. I even felt empathy when things went terribly bad, and frankly that was a bit unnerving for me. I have no idea why I felt that way.
I think this is a story that many readers can relate to, particularly if they’ve spent any amount of time around seniors.
Technically Speaking
If there were any SPAG problems in this book, they were inconsequential to me. Thus, I have no recall.
The pacing was a little on the slow side. However, given the nature of the story and the advanced age of most of the characters, a slow pace worked well for me. The build up to the climax actually begins very early in the story. Something happens, and you just know there are going to be consequences in the climax.
The climax, itself, was rather “gentle.” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it took me by surprise. The story works with the climax, but for some reason I thought there should have been more.
Just like the climax, the character arcs were also gentle. I didn’t think the main characters profoundly changed in any way by the end of the story. I suppose those characters who did not live to see the end of the story mighty disagree with that.
It may seem that I did not like the story, but that’s not true. I enjoyed this story. I enjoy reading Jen Waldo. She is a no nonsense author that calls it like she sees it.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.)
This story is meant to be humorous. I didn’t really take it that way. (Maybe because of the empathy?) I can understand how a reader could find humor, however, but it would have to be dark humor.
Our protagonist, Jessica, gets slapped around pretty good throughout the story. Metaphorically, of course. How could all this stuff happen to one person who is still reeling from a recent personal tragedy?
My Empathy for Why Stuff Matters
The main character inherited an antique mall from her mother. She manages the mall, but she seems to still be a little numb from the recent loss of her husband and twin girls. Watching how Jessica interacts with the stallholders at the antique mall is very entertaining.
All the stallholders have a few things in common. They’re all way past their prime and nearing the bottom of the proverbial hill they’re over. They all like to collect things under the premise of “offering them for sale.” They don’t seem to trust anyone, and they’re all pretty tight with a buck.
I won’t bore you with the specifics of why I empathize so much with the characters, except to say that my empathy made the story very personal for me. I even felt empathy when things went terribly bad, and frankly that was a bit unnerving for me. I have no idea why I felt that way.
I think this is a story that many readers can relate to, particularly if they’ve spent any amount of time around seniors.
Technically Speaking
If there were any SPAG problems in this book, they were inconsequential to me. Thus, I have no recall.
The pacing was a little on the slow side. However, given the nature of the story and the advanced age of most of the characters, a slow pace worked well for me. The build up to the climax actually begins very early in the story. Something happens, and you just know there are going to be consequences in the climax.
The climax, itself, was rather “gentle.” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it took me by surprise. The story works with the climax, but for some reason I thought there should have been more.
Just like the climax, the character arcs were also gentle. I didn’t think the main characters profoundly changed in any way by the end of the story. I suppose those characters who did not live to see the end of the story mighty disagree with that.
It may seem that I did not like the story, but that’s not true. I enjoyed this story. I enjoy reading Jen Waldo. She is a no nonsense author that calls it like she sees it.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.)
December 10, 2019
As per usual, I judged this book by its cover and immediately liked it. There’s a longstanding family joke where 3-year-old me proclaimed that my father’s favorite color was yellow (it wasn’t) and years later my college car was named Pichu because it was yellow. Hence, I really dig the color of this cover. Who knew that yellow, black, and negative white space could be visually interesting and soothing at the same time? I like the clean lines and the artistic simplicity conveyed by the hodgepodge of items: typewriter, phone (later discovered to be a tablet), baseball cards, bottles, urn, gun, suitcase, band instruments, safe, and bicycle. My second or third thought was that either the person in this story has a strange style of decorating or it takes place in a pawnshop.
I was wrong, but only just. The main character, Jessica, does have a strange style of decorating, but only because she doesn’t really care. And there are a few pawnshops that do business within the antique mall that Jessica inherits from her mother who passes away. Bit by bit, you get to know Jessica and why she acts the way she does. The slow reveal reminds me of cooking a stew. You can’t rush it or your protein will come out too tough. You have to keep it low and slow so that everything comes out tender and full of flavor. Well, Jessica is still pretty tough by the end of this book, but I would imagine she would be like beef jerky in a thin tomato base if she didn’t get to control the flow of things.
This is one of those books where I didn’t necessarily like all of the characters, but they were all very real to me. Waldo has a no-nonsense style of writing that never made me question her perspective on things. There were no games and the mystery had low stakes, but I was still eager to read on and find out what happened next. While Jessica is able to predict everyone’s next move or thought, I was taken by surprise many times. Not huge, ‘whoa, what was that?!’ kind of surprise, but a thoughtful, ‘wow, I didn’t see that coming at all.’
And I think that’s the true beauty of this book. Nothing flashy or over the top, but real people with real issues. Hint: Try not to obsess over right or wrong. Just enjoy the ride. And although the story doesn’t really travel far, it’s an experience all the same. I could see Wes Anderson directing the movie version of this if the author wanted a lowkey vibe on the screen. If Waldo wanted a little more whimsy, then I would say get Greta Gerwig to direct. Either way, the colorful characters and understated storytelling are the perfect recipe for a cult classic. It wouldn’t even require a Breakfast Club outro for you to realize exactly Why Stuff Matters.
I was wrong, but only just. The main character, Jessica, does have a strange style of decorating, but only because she doesn’t really care. And there are a few pawnshops that do business within the antique mall that Jessica inherits from her mother who passes away. Bit by bit, you get to know Jessica and why she acts the way she does. The slow reveal reminds me of cooking a stew. You can’t rush it or your protein will come out too tough. You have to keep it low and slow so that everything comes out tender and full of flavor. Well, Jessica is still pretty tough by the end of this book, but I would imagine she would be like beef jerky in a thin tomato base if she didn’t get to control the flow of things.
This is one of those books where I didn’t necessarily like all of the characters, but they were all very real to me. Waldo has a no-nonsense style of writing that never made me question her perspective on things. There were no games and the mystery had low stakes, but I was still eager to read on and find out what happened next. While Jessica is able to predict everyone’s next move or thought, I was taken by surprise many times. Not huge, ‘whoa, what was that?!’ kind of surprise, but a thoughtful, ‘wow, I didn’t see that coming at all.’
And I think that’s the true beauty of this book. Nothing flashy or over the top, but real people with real issues. Hint: Try not to obsess over right or wrong. Just enjoy the ride. And although the story doesn’t really travel far, it’s an experience all the same. I could see Wes Anderson directing the movie version of this if the author wanted a lowkey vibe on the screen. If Waldo wanted a little more whimsy, then I would say get Greta Gerwig to direct. Either way, the colorful characters and understated storytelling are the perfect recipe for a cult classic. It wouldn’t even require a Breakfast Club outro for you to realize exactly Why Stuff Matters.
December 13, 2019
“People should give people things to remember them by.”
I emphatically and enthusiastically applaud author, Jen Waldo for crafting a story around old stuff and old people. Jen nails so many things with her character writing, especially of the inherited store owner, Jessica. The writing and the story are picture-perfect with this gem of a short novel.
What did she get right? On a recent, unexpected visit to an antique store with a friend who loves these kinds of stores, I immediately started sneezing. Old stuff, along with West Texas dust makes me sneeze. Then I started remembering passages of Jen’s book. Wondering if a Roxy owned this booth? If there was a guy like Pard amongst the booth owners? Prices do tell stories. What people collect and love they do not really like getting rid of by the prices they put on items. There are a lot of trinkets and glassware that are still hanging around waiting to find another shelf to sit on. Yes – typewriters are still a thing to be sold. Sadly, there are some items you happen upon that brings back memories.
Why Stuff Matters is much more than just about old things. It is about people – both old and young. The story revolves around mainly Jessica who has recently taken over her mother’s antique store after her own life suffered a double devastating blow. Jessica becomes somewhat of a caretaker to renters who most can barely walk to a young girl dumped on her. The deeper aspect of Jessica is that I can highly relate to her on many levels – especially how she evolved for instance into how she would fret weeks over end about a friend’s foul mood and now not caring.
Most antique items are imbued with mortality bestowed upon them by their owners or the persons selling them. Why do we keep things? Why are some things more important than others?
The killer genius part of the story – no pun intended – is the unexpected murders and deaths the story is woven around.
Even with my recent visit to a Slaton, Texas antique store – I realize that people need stores like that for their things to sell because people love finding bargains on old stuff. But mostly I realize that I venerate Jen for giving me a story to always remember with a smile every time I visit an antique store.
Thank you, Jen. Thank you, Lone Star Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to review Why Stuff Matters.
I emphatically and enthusiastically applaud author, Jen Waldo for crafting a story around old stuff and old people. Jen nails so many things with her character writing, especially of the inherited store owner, Jessica. The writing and the story are picture-perfect with this gem of a short novel.
What did she get right? On a recent, unexpected visit to an antique store with a friend who loves these kinds of stores, I immediately started sneezing. Old stuff, along with West Texas dust makes me sneeze. Then I started remembering passages of Jen’s book. Wondering if a Roxy owned this booth? If there was a guy like Pard amongst the booth owners? Prices do tell stories. What people collect and love they do not really like getting rid of by the prices they put on items. There are a lot of trinkets and glassware that are still hanging around waiting to find another shelf to sit on. Yes – typewriters are still a thing to be sold. Sadly, there are some items you happen upon that brings back memories.
Why Stuff Matters is much more than just about old things. It is about people – both old and young. The story revolves around mainly Jessica who has recently taken over her mother’s antique store after her own life suffered a double devastating blow. Jessica becomes somewhat of a caretaker to renters who most can barely walk to a young girl dumped on her. The deeper aspect of Jessica is that I can highly relate to her on many levels – especially how she evolved for instance into how she would fret weeks over end about a friend’s foul mood and now not caring.
Most antique items are imbued with mortality bestowed upon them by their owners or the persons selling them. Why do we keep things? Why are some things more important than others?
The killer genius part of the story – no pun intended – is the unexpected murders and deaths the story is woven around.
Even with my recent visit to a Slaton, Texas antique store – I realize that people need stores like that for their things to sell because people love finding bargains on old stuff. But mostly I realize that I venerate Jen for giving me a story to always remember with a smile every time I visit an antique store.
Thank you, Jen. Thank you, Lone Star Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to review Why Stuff Matters.
February 16, 2019
GOOD STUFF
Jen Waldo’s WHY STUFF MATTERS is well-written literary suspense with a dab of farce thrown in. Uniquely built around a decaying antiques mall in an authentically described Texas setting, the novel follows an intense period in the life of mall owner Jessica. Jessica’s biggest challenges, surprisingly, are the aging proprietors of booths that offer the usual fare of such places -- “stuff” ranging from nearly worthless junk to incredibly valuable collector’s items. (Psst… illegal stuff, too.) Not wanting to reveal too much to a potential reader, I’ll just say that what these old coots get up to will widen your eyes. (Coots can be a lot livelier than one might guess.)
I picked up a copy of WHY STUFF MATTERS based on (1) its unique and appealing cover, which depicts different antiques mall artifacts that are mentioned in the book and (2) the jacket description that reminded me of visits over the last fifteen years to a local antiques mall where (four times a year) my wife and I have meals at an on-site tea room, then browse the “stuff.” I’ve wondered before what went on behind the scenes of the place. (How do they stay in business?) WHY STUFF MATTERS may have given me some answers. (Thanks, Jen.)
“‘Who gave you the right to study my life?’
‘Did you think I wouldn’t find out? I’m a detective. I detect.’
‘Stop talking right now.’
‘We’ve know each other since we were kids. We’re friends. And friends talk to each other. They share and support.’
Share and support, words I’ve come to hate.”
Jen Waldo’s WHY STUFF MATTERS is well-written literary suspense with a dab of farce thrown in. Uniquely built around a decaying antiques mall in an authentically described Texas setting, the novel follows an intense period in the life of mall owner Jessica. Jessica’s biggest challenges, surprisingly, are the aging proprietors of booths that offer the usual fare of such places -- “stuff” ranging from nearly worthless junk to incredibly valuable collector’s items. (Psst… illegal stuff, too.) Not wanting to reveal too much to a potential reader, I’ll just say that what these old coots get up to will widen your eyes. (Coots can be a lot livelier than one might guess.)
I picked up a copy of WHY STUFF MATTERS based on (1) its unique and appealing cover, which depicts different antiques mall artifacts that are mentioned in the book and (2) the jacket description that reminded me of visits over the last fifteen years to a local antiques mall where (four times a year) my wife and I have meals at an on-site tea room, then browse the “stuff.” I’ve wondered before what went on behind the scenes of the place. (How do they stay in business?) WHY STUFF MATTERS may have given me some answers. (Thanks, Jen.)
“‘Who gave you the right to study my life?’
‘Did you think I wouldn’t find out? I’m a detective. I detect.’
‘Stop talking right now.’
‘We’ve know each other since we were kids. We’re friends. And friends talk to each other. They share and support.’
Share and support, words I’ve come to hate.”
April 2, 2018
The cast of characters in “Why Stuff Matters” are all people that you have known at some point in your life. The setting is a fictional town in the Texas Panhandle, but it could have been set in any urban area. The main character, Jessica, has been hardened by the untimely deaths of the people closest to her. She inherits her mother’s antique mall and, thus, all of the dealers who have space rented therein. These are all elderly people who seem to have no other purpose than their relationships to each other and their collections. If modern consumerism is an attempt for people to fill an empty place in their lives with possessions, then the venders in this antique mall are reflections of our future selves. When the young daughter of her husband’s ex-wife enters the mix, Jessica reveals her own empty heart. The story unfolds through several unexpected events, and one has hope that Jessica may begin to find her own healing at the end. “Why Stuff Matters” is an enjoyable read from beginning to end.
June 24, 2019
When I got asked to review this book I was super excited because the story (and the author) are Texan and anyone who knows me I knows I'm a little in obsessed. I have to say this book made me laugh and cry. I loved the absurdity and the characters. The whole time all I could think about was that the antique mall reminded me of this place near my old work on I-10 here in Houston... And go figure in the acknowledgments 😂 Writing was super immersive and so tremendously real. I enjoyed it immensely and appreciated the opportunity.
December 14, 2019
Indie Review for Lone Star Literary Life.
Also reviewed on Lone Star Book Blog Tours. Lone Star Blogger Team average rating: 4.8 Stars.
Also reviewed on Lone Star Book Blog Tours. Lone Star Blogger Team average rating: 4.8 Stars.
December 7, 2021
The cover is uninspiring and the title suggests some kind of a self-help book, but this was a little gem of a novel. Funny, with quirky characters and pithy observations, it was an unexpectedly enjoyable light read.
June 15, 2022
A set of quirky characters and a bizarre plot - what’s not to love?
August 7, 2022
Reading this book reminded me of my father and all of his precious stuff.
December 16, 2017
Why Stuff Matters, by Jen Waldo, is a story of grief, avarice, ageing, and the suspicious resentments that define those whose lives have amounted to little more than material possessions. Set in a run down mall in small town Texas, USA, its cast of characters would garner sympathy if they weren’t so ornery and grasping. Into this mix is thrown the protagonist, Jessica, who has inherited the mall from her mother and moved in to escape the pain of the life she had built and then lost. Her moral compass has been displaced by anger and heartache.
Jessica sleeps in the cavernous third floor of the mall. Unlike her elderly tenants she has few possessions. When the story opens a tornado is building that passes through the town leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Hard won belongings stand no chance against such a capricious force of nature.
Amongst the dead is an octogenarian named Pard Kemp who had rented a booth in Jessica’s mall. Pard left no family and had never specified what was to become of his stock in the event of his death. The remaining tenants waste no time in dividing his stuff amongst themselves. They vie with each other in an attempt to ensure that if anyone gets more than the others it should be them.
It falls to Jessica to arbitrate, despite knowing that whatever decisions she makes will be regarded as unfair. When guns are found in Pard’s booth she puts them in her safe, giving the tenants two weeks to agree how they should be removed as she refuses to allow unlicensed firearms to remain on her property. Another tenant, Roxy, asks to borrow one as her ex-husband is in town and she claims she is in danger. Within days Roxy has shot the man dead.
What follows is a series of events leading inexorably towards a reckoning. A body must be disposed of, the police distracted from the scent of wrongdoing. Into this mix arrives Lizzie, the twelve year old daughter of Jessica’s husband from his first marriage. Without agreement Lizzie is foisted on Jessica for the summer. The girl quickly finds herself a place within the politics of the mall, a young novelty fawned over by the elderly tenants eager to profit from her presence. Lizzie and Roxy each trigger further situations against which Jessica quietly rages.
The plot is in many ways farcical yet it is presented with an adroitness that enables the author to portray issues of loneliness, ageing and the value of humanity over things. Each of the cast of characters has reason to rail against much that life has demanded of them. Their greed, foolishness and sense of righteous entitlement were still frustrating to read.
The writing flows and the plot is well paced leading to a satisfactory denouement, possibly the only uplifting part of the tale. I suspect other readers may find humour in many of the scenes depicted. With more people living into old age the growing elderly population will be as mixed in morality as any other demographic. It is interesting to see them cast here as rogues, using their ailments to gain advantage.
A well constructed, thought-provoking read but, for me, too relatable not to be dispiriting.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Arcadia Books.
Jessica sleeps in the cavernous third floor of the mall. Unlike her elderly tenants she has few possessions. When the story opens a tornado is building that passes through the town leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Hard won belongings stand no chance against such a capricious force of nature.
Amongst the dead is an octogenarian named Pard Kemp who had rented a booth in Jessica’s mall. Pard left no family and had never specified what was to become of his stock in the event of his death. The remaining tenants waste no time in dividing his stuff amongst themselves. They vie with each other in an attempt to ensure that if anyone gets more than the others it should be them.
It falls to Jessica to arbitrate, despite knowing that whatever decisions she makes will be regarded as unfair. When guns are found in Pard’s booth she puts them in her safe, giving the tenants two weeks to agree how they should be removed as she refuses to allow unlicensed firearms to remain on her property. Another tenant, Roxy, asks to borrow one as her ex-husband is in town and she claims she is in danger. Within days Roxy has shot the man dead.
What follows is a series of events leading inexorably towards a reckoning. A body must be disposed of, the police distracted from the scent of wrongdoing. Into this mix arrives Lizzie, the twelve year old daughter of Jessica’s husband from his first marriage. Without agreement Lizzie is foisted on Jessica for the summer. The girl quickly finds herself a place within the politics of the mall, a young novelty fawned over by the elderly tenants eager to profit from her presence. Lizzie and Roxy each trigger further situations against which Jessica quietly rages.
The plot is in many ways farcical yet it is presented with an adroitness that enables the author to portray issues of loneliness, ageing and the value of humanity over things. Each of the cast of characters has reason to rail against much that life has demanded of them. Their greed, foolishness and sense of righteous entitlement were still frustrating to read.
The writing flows and the plot is well paced leading to a satisfactory denouement, possibly the only uplifting part of the tale. I suspect other readers may find humour in many of the scenes depicted. With more people living into old age the growing elderly population will be as mixed in morality as any other demographic. It is interesting to see them cast here as rogues, using their ailments to gain advantage.
A well constructed, thought-provoking read but, for me, too relatable not to be dispiriting.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Arcadia Books.
November 18, 2017
Novel set in Texas (wacky, funny, and scary…) – plus author interview on this link: https://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set...
Why Stuff Matters is the second book by Jen Waldo. I very much enjoyed the first, Old Buildings in North Texas, and was looking forward to the second. It did not disappoint – although, for me, the subject matter (a somewhat bizarre antique mall with a very odd and eclectic collection of senior citizen vendors) did not work quite as well as the urbexing experiences of Old Buildings. But I suspect this is very much a matter of personal taste. Both are more than slightly off beat, and absolutely none the worse for that..
The story is that of Jessica who inherited the mall, and its occupants, on her mother’s death. She seeks to make a few changes which are roundly condemned by the vendors – a dubious and crusty lot who don’t seem to really mind whether they sell anything, or not. They prefer things as they are – arguing how to split a gun collection when one of them dies, or revolting when Jessica dares tell them to remove ten year old filthy carpets from their booths. Many have other slightly nefarious businesses on the side… Then two events happen. First, Lizzie, the daughter of Jessica’s former husband by his first wife, is dumped on her for the summer – and second, one of the vendors (with a gun lent to her by Jessica for her protection) kills her own former husband who returns to the town to recover a collection of baseball cards. Jessica is involved in the disposal of the body (and a subsequent one as well…). Yes, it is a murder but yes, it is also a comedy murder. Jen tells the story with wry humour and deprecating wit. The police (in the form of an officer who fancies Jessica, and who Lizzie latches onto) investigate, but get nowhere. There is a conspiracy of silence. Authority is not welcome in the mall.
Why Stuff Matters is well and intelligently written. Jen is a keen observer of people and how they behave. It is a book worth reading.
Why Stuff Matters is the second book by Jen Waldo. I very much enjoyed the first, Old Buildings in North Texas, and was looking forward to the second. It did not disappoint – although, for me, the subject matter (a somewhat bizarre antique mall with a very odd and eclectic collection of senior citizen vendors) did not work quite as well as the urbexing experiences of Old Buildings. But I suspect this is very much a matter of personal taste. Both are more than slightly off beat, and absolutely none the worse for that..
The story is that of Jessica who inherited the mall, and its occupants, on her mother’s death. She seeks to make a few changes which are roundly condemned by the vendors – a dubious and crusty lot who don’t seem to really mind whether they sell anything, or not. They prefer things as they are – arguing how to split a gun collection when one of them dies, or revolting when Jessica dares tell them to remove ten year old filthy carpets from their booths. Many have other slightly nefarious businesses on the side… Then two events happen. First, Lizzie, the daughter of Jessica’s former husband by his first wife, is dumped on her for the summer – and second, one of the vendors (with a gun lent to her by Jessica for her protection) kills her own former husband who returns to the town to recover a collection of baseball cards. Jessica is involved in the disposal of the body (and a subsequent one as well…). Yes, it is a murder but yes, it is also a comedy murder. Jen tells the story with wry humour and deprecating wit. The police (in the form of an officer who fancies Jessica, and who Lizzie latches onto) investigate, but get nowhere. There is a conspiracy of silence. Authority is not welcome in the mall.
Why Stuff Matters is well and intelligently written. Jen is a keen observer of people and how they behave. It is a book worth reading.
August 5, 2019
2nd book by this author-both gifts --Thanks Tracy--I love her books, want to read more-having lived in Texas made them even more appealing-fun quick reads-Love the characters in this book-will be sharing with my other friends who love to read
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews