Texting Olivia

by Galya Gerstman

Texting Olivia is a funny, fast-paced, modern take on the epistolary novel, using phone texts and calls instead of letters as the main form of communication.

Fay is a paralegal in her forties with thwarted career ambitions, which she blames on her mother. Indeed, she has done almost everything opposite to her own upbringing in raising Olivia. But Fay’s assumptions about what it means to be a good mother—and also a good daughter—are put to the test when she and her husband take a madcap trip from New Jersey to San Francisco to help Olivia move out of her dorm.

200 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2022

Reviews

[Daria Zeoli]

DNF’d when, as the mother described her contrarian teenaged daughter, she recalled the conversation when said daughter told her about Colin, her new boyfriend:

“…he’s a tran. He used to be a girl.”

As Mom recalls how she felt “weird” about this, she asks the reader to cut her some slack for her feelings about it because she “was born in the seventies.”

And by the time the paragraph ends, Colin has broken up with the daughter. “Even guys who used to be girls don’t find me attractive!”

This story takes place in twenty-first century New Jersey. Please do better, even if the trans representation is a two-page conversation and even if the mom and daughter were insufferable before this scene.

[Jeffrey Welker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable, quick read. For anyone who has ever experienced the joy and frustrations of being a parent (and a child) this book will resonate. Empty-nest syndrome, modern technology and its alienating aspects, intergenerational conflict, self-reflection: we have it all here. Fay is a sympathetic (and almost unbearably patient) narrator; anyone who has put their own comfort and convenience on hold for a child will surely relate. For all the quirkiness of the book's conceit, there is a true sense of realism in the writing and in the characters of Fay and her husband.
I would recommend this story of learning to let go (of resentments, of plans, of the past) to anyone, not just parents.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an advanced review copy of Texting Olivia on behalf of a debut literary fiction award committee.
I struggled to properly rate Texting Olivia. I know what I would rate the book based on my enjoyment. I recognize I am not the target audience for Texting Olivia. I have read and enjoyed other books written for middle aged mothers. (I even have a shelf on Goodreads called Mom Lit!) I ultimately settled on a three star rating because Texting Olivia did not achieve what it set out to achieve.
"Modern take on the epistolary novel, using phone texts and calls instead of letters as the main form of communication" Texting Olivia is in no way an epistolary novel. Does it feature text messages and phone call dialogue? Yes. Are those forms of communication the main form of communication in the book? Not by a long shot. Texts and calls make up about 15% of the total story. The vast majority of the text is compromised of face to face dialogue, Fay's inner monologue, and flashbacks. Featuring text messages and phone calls is not in any way novel or unique to a contemporary fiction book published in the 2020's. I think it is weird Texting Olivia is being marketed that way and disagree with the publishing house's spin on an ordinary narrative choice.
Fay's complex relationship with her mother. As someone who has a complex relationship with her mother, I like to see characters who also have complex relationships with their parent(s). The characterization of Sophie and Fay's relationship was done well. I could feel Fay's pain. However, I was immensely disappointed that five decades of a bad relationship was easily solved with one honest conversation. That is not how it works in the real world. Trust me, my relationship with my mother would have been sorted out years ago if that were the case. Rebuilding a parent-child relationship takes time and a lot of work. Fay and Sophie's breakthrough conversation felt cheap to me because Sophie never validated any of Fay's feelings. Sophie took no responsibility for her actions as the parent.
Fay and Neil as spouses. Reading Fay and Neil's interactions made me feel like I was watching one of those Real Housewives' marriages teetering on the edge. The two had absolutely no chemistry and nothing in common, save for their daughter Olivia. Fay's narration painted Neil horribly. Neil clearly has years of violent disgust towards Fay regarding how she parents Olivia. Their marriage does not seem to include any love or partnership, only constant bickering. I suspect their spats were supposed to add humor to the book, but the tactic fell absolutely on its face for me.
To me, Texting Olivia is about a woman who is extremely unhappy in her life and worries about being to strict with her daughter, as that is the only enjoyable relationship she has.

[Shoshana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mothers and daughters. No relationship is more loving, more complex, or more likely to explode into a series of high expectations, aching disappointments and words unsaid.

In Texting Olivia, Galya Gerstman has crafted a story of two generations of mothers and daughters. The narrator is Fay, a 40-something paralegal who is caught between her mother, Sophie, and her daughter, Olivia. Her husband Neil is along for the ride as he and Fay fly from New Jersey to California to move Olivia back home for the summer after her first year at college.

Written both in a series of text exchanges between Fay and Olivia, (funny and spot on) and expository prose, we unravel the relationship between mother and daughter, as Olivia keeps finding different ways to avoid spending time with her parents, and Fay realizes that she’s doing the exact same thing with her own mother. The conversations ring true, and the emotions behind them resonate with any woman who has had to walk the tightrope of a relationship with her mom.

The only character who seems somewhat underdeveloped is Neil, Fay’s husband, who seems to stand is as a cardboard character good guy dad who allows Fay to express her anger and disappointment with the other characters who are far more well-developed.

Texting Olivia is in turns funny, poignant and thought-provoking, and is well worth a read. If you’re lucky enough to still have a mom, buy a copy for her, too.

[Lenny Karpman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her page turner, Texting Olivia, author Galya Gerstman takes us on a superbly crafted journey through the intergeneration angst so dramatically played out by mothers and daughters everywhere. Even those among us who have selective memory loss about our family’s imperfections, are likely to feel discomfort when this cast of characters resuscitates examples of our own conflicts we have stowed away. Caring for progeny unilaterally, making excuses for bad acts by actors we love, defending our own self-worth, seeking individuation, trying to avoid judgmentalism, and the experiencing the frustration of failing to reach the ubiquitous disingenuous narcissism of millennials in their impermeable bubbles; these are the threads of the tapestry Gerstman weaves. Be prepared to read it cover to cover without pause. I found it that compelling.

[David Clyde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weirdly realistic, like I feel like I'm reading the author's therapy session. No real plot twists, I knew how the whole book would go after 20 pages. Still probably some benefit to me from hearing (an exaggerated version of) how someone thought about parent-child dynamics (overly controlling / critical at one end, expressing no opinions at the other). But yeah, everyone here acts extremely dysfunctional and I like to think it would be really really hard to maneuver me into most of these negative social situations.

(inb4 I have kids of my own and fully identify with the whole book in 10-20 years)

[Steve Chodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texting Olivia is a charming story about the vicissitudes of dealing with a young adult daughter in this age of communication by text. Fay, the narrator, and her husband Neil make plans to help their daughter Olivia move from college, back home for the summer. As plans keep changing, Fay must deal with both her daughter and mother, which she does with wit and humor.

The story flips from both Fay’s narrative perspective as well as texts between Fay and Olivia. This approach to the story is different than other books, but, hey, isn’t that the way life is nowadays?

[Ruth Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Texting Olivia engages us from page one. The wit and sense of humor make it fun and enjoyable but what keeps our thoughts racing are the meta messages in the mother-daughter conversations that unearth the complexity of the narrator's relationships with her daughter and with her mother. We can identify with the narrator on so many levels. We question and delve into our own relationships. Brillantly written, Texting Olivia is a must-read.

[Fredda Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texting Olivia is a part funny, part serious romp, raising questions you didn't even know you had.
Fay finds herself stuck in the sandwich generation, her mother and daughter at either end. She
has a few "aha!" moments as she wriggles into a more comfortable position. The perfect
Pandemic read.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a smart, witty, funny and deep book. Sometimes you want to smack the main character, and then, you see yourself in her and bingo! You realize how much in common you have with her. You go in introspective mode. You laugh out loud and think silently. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club selection, January 2022 - easy but thought-provoking read focused on mother-daughter relationships, would've liked a little more depth to the characters that you can't get in ~180 pgs

[Braylee Dubs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25