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The Smash-Up
Smart, sublime, and wickedly clever, The Smash-Up captures--then transcends--our current polarized moment
"An exhilarating ride . . . hilarious . . . a modern and energetic story about a marriage on the skids."--The New York Times
Ethan has always been one of the good guys, and for years, nobody has appreciated this fact more than his wife, Zo. Until now. Jolted into activism by the 2016 election, Zo's transformed their home into the headquarters for the local resistance, turning their comfortable decades-long marriage inside-out.
Meanwhile, their boisterous daughter, Alex, grows wilder by the day. Ethan's former business partner needs help saving the media company they'd co-founded. Financial disaster looms. Enter a breezy, blue-haired millennial making her way through the gig economy. Suddenly Ethan faces a choice unlike any he's ever had to make.
Unfolding over fivet urbulent days in 2018, The Smash-Up wrestles shrewdly with some of the biggest questions of our time: What, exactly, does it mean to be a good guy? What will it take for men to break the "bro code"? How does the world respond when a woman demands more? Can we ever understand another's experiences... and what are the consequences of failing to try? Moving, funny, and cathartic, this portrait of a marriage--and a nation--under strain is, ultimately, a magic trick of empathy, one that will make you laugh and squirm until its final, breathless pages.
"An exhilarating ride . . . hilarious . . . a modern and energetic story about a marriage on the skids."--The New York Times
Ethan has always been one of the good guys, and for years, nobody has appreciated this fact more than his wife, Zo. Until now. Jolted into activism by the 2016 election, Zo's transformed their home into the headquarters for the local resistance, turning their comfortable decades-long marriage inside-out.
Meanwhile, their boisterous daughter, Alex, grows wilder by the day. Ethan's former business partner needs help saving the media company they'd co-founded. Financial disaster looms. Enter a breezy, blue-haired millennial making her way through the gig economy. Suddenly Ethan faces a choice unlike any he's ever had to make.
Unfolding over fivet urbulent days in 2018, The Smash-Up wrestles shrewdly with some of the biggest questions of our time: What, exactly, does it mean to be a good guy? What will it take for men to break the "bro code"? How does the world respond when a woman demands more? Can we ever understand another's experiences... and what are the consequences of failing to try? Moving, funny, and cathartic, this portrait of a marriage--and a nation--under strain is, ultimately, a magic trick of empathy, one that will make you laugh and squirm until its final, breathless pages.
335 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2021
144 people are currently reading
11722 people want to read
About the author
Ali Benjamin
8 books561 followersAli Benjamin has written for the Boston Globe Magazine, Martha Stewart's Whole Living, and Sesame Street. She is the co-writer for HIV+ teen Paige Rawl's coming-of-age memoir, Positive, which will be a lead title for Harper Teen this coming Fall, and which will feature an introduction by Jay Asher. She is a member of the New England Science Writers. - See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titl...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
January 12, 2021
My timing for picking this book up was surreal. I start reading this book that begins with a description of the division created by the Trump election on the day his supporters overran the capitol. The Smash Up covers the #MeToo movement and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation.
Told from Ethan’s perspective, he’s dealing with a newly politicized wife and his old business, his main source of funds, rocked by sexual harassment allegations. Ethan is middle aged, living the comfortable life in small town Massachusetts when it all comes apart. “It was good until it wasn’t. All of it: The town. His marriage. Their finances. The world.”
These were not characters I could relate to. Zo is so wrapped up in protesting the injustices of the world, she totally ignores her child and husband. I spent most of the book wanting to smack her. Ethan just seemed like such a sad sack. I wanted him to grow a pair. And his attraction to his daughter’s babysitter was just a cliche.
Still, every now and then the book really hits the mark , especially at the beginning when Ethan and Randy are starting Brand and they use the philosopher Baudrillard to make a point. Or when Ethan thinks about post-truth society. “It all feels like those choose-your-own-adventure books Ethan used to love.” In fact, the book has a lot to say about manipulating the truth.
I loved the ending and it helped me appreciate the book more. It also helped that the characters do grow and become more sympathetic as the story progresses. The book is unsettling at times, but it raises important issues and deserves to be read.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
Told from Ethan’s perspective, he’s dealing with a newly politicized wife and his old business, his main source of funds, rocked by sexual harassment allegations. Ethan is middle aged, living the comfortable life in small town Massachusetts when it all comes apart. “It was good until it wasn’t. All of it: The town. His marriage. Their finances. The world.”
These were not characters I could relate to. Zo is so wrapped up in protesting the injustices of the world, she totally ignores her child and husband. I spent most of the book wanting to smack her. Ethan just seemed like such a sad sack. I wanted him to grow a pair. And his attraction to his daughter’s babysitter was just a cliche.
Still, every now and then the book really hits the mark , especially at the beginning when Ethan and Randy are starting Brand and they use the philosopher Baudrillard to make a point. Or when Ethan thinks about post-truth society. “It all feels like those choose-your-own-adventure books Ethan used to love.” In fact, the book has a lot to say about manipulating the truth.
I loved the ending and it helped me appreciate the book more. It also helped that the characters do grow and become more sympathetic as the story progresses. The book is unsettling at times, but it raises important issues and deserves to be read.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
February 9, 2021
Rather than ramble on, I'm going to keep my review brief for a change. I appreciate the author incorporating relevant subjects into the story such as the #metoo movement, the political climate, the Kavanaugh hearings, etc., but unfortunately I never got into a good reading grove with this book. The writing style just didn't click with me and I knew that fairly early on. I'm not sure if quirky is the best way to describe it or not. Regardless the characters just didn't come alive to me and I didn't feel invested in them. And that's a shame because this book is a bit of a modern day retelling of Ethan Frome which is one of my favorite reads.
Not every book is a perfect fit for every reader, and that's okay. Judging by the some of the early reviews, this book was a great read for quite a few people. You never know what will turn out to be an awesome read unless you try.
Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Not every book is a perfect fit for every reader, and that's okay. Judging by the some of the early reviews, this book was a great read for quite a few people. You never know what will turn out to be an awesome read unless you try.
Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
March 18, 2021
So many emotions are drummed up in “The Smash-Up” by Ali Benjamin. Benjamin creates a story about a marriage that is on the ebb of a crisis. Ethan Frome (yes that’s his name) is a man in midlife who is living off his rapidly dwindling royalties from a media start-up. He is trying to figure out the next chapter of his life; what to do for work. His wife, Zenobia (Zo) is a has-been documentary film maker who is distracted by the “me-too” movement. This is the year 2018, when Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate Confirmation hearings is high drama after the Trump administration created a feminist backlash. Zo and her feminist friends form a resistance movement (All Them Witches) and hold meetings in Zo and Ethan’s home.
But the story really begins with “what happened?” We learn something bad happened, and we aren’t sure what it was, not how it started. But we know it has a political vibe. It begins with social unrest with a changing society and women not allowing men to subjugate them, and definitely with women being tired of sexual harassment.
So the story begins on a Tuesday before the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. The resistance group is meeting at the Frome family home. Ethan and Zo have a hilarious and zany daughter, Alex, who is struggling in her 6th grade class at a progressive and liberal private school. Alex has ADHD, and no one has written a better characterization of a typical ADHD child as Benjamin. She writes Alex as annoyingly hyper, yet interesting and funny (if you can read about her and not LIVE with her). Benjamin shows how ADHD children possess a sweet and smart side, which is hard to notice when the child is talking non-stop, 24/7, in rapid staccato. Yet, reading what she says is hilarious. Her mind jumps faster than Mexican jumping beans.
To help with Alex, the Fromes hire a 26 year old woman to pick up the child rearing slack that is required when one has a super hyper child.
The story perfectly reflects our culture. Ethan’s former business partner is sketchy, and Ethan must come to terms with that. Zo is indignant, angry, and frustrated, to the point of distraction with our cultural gender issues. Ethan is worried about money and supporting his family while coming to terms with his former business partner. Poor Alex is treated horribly at her private school, and she’s so innocent she doesn’t even see it. Oh, and that school! Benjamin must have had some insider info on people who send their children to private school. It is so funny. There’s a bit surrounding “the emotion board” that is laugh out loud funny. In fact, more than half the novel left me giggling and snorting laughing. It’s all so real.
Benjamin is able to show both sides of highly charged issues, and she does it with a dollop of humor (some dollops are bigger than others). But she also shows the heart-wrenching sides. The adult characters are portrayed warts and all. The character Alex, hopefully, will open eyes to the beauty of those ADHD children. Nonetheless, this is a story that shows how deeply fractured our society has become. Benjamin needed the humor to keep the reader on board. Otherwise, this story is a dark tragedy.
The ending was a total surprise to me. It was a plot twist I didn’t see coming and had me shaken.
The only complaint I had was with a strange illicit mushroom trip that I thought was distracting and not really necessary. Other than that, I feel that this is a novel that illuminates our culture in crisis.
I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrators.
But the story really begins with “what happened?” We learn something bad happened, and we aren’t sure what it was, not how it started. But we know it has a political vibe. It begins with social unrest with a changing society and women not allowing men to subjugate them, and definitely with women being tired of sexual harassment.
So the story begins on a Tuesday before the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. The resistance group is meeting at the Frome family home. Ethan and Zo have a hilarious and zany daughter, Alex, who is struggling in her 6th grade class at a progressive and liberal private school. Alex has ADHD, and no one has written a better characterization of a typical ADHD child as Benjamin. She writes Alex as annoyingly hyper, yet interesting and funny (if you can read about her and not LIVE with her). Benjamin shows how ADHD children possess a sweet and smart side, which is hard to notice when the child is talking non-stop, 24/7, in rapid staccato. Yet, reading what she says is hilarious. Her mind jumps faster than Mexican jumping beans.
To help with Alex, the Fromes hire a 26 year old woman to pick up the child rearing slack that is required when one has a super hyper child.
The story perfectly reflects our culture. Ethan’s former business partner is sketchy, and Ethan must come to terms with that. Zo is indignant, angry, and frustrated, to the point of distraction with our cultural gender issues. Ethan is worried about money and supporting his family while coming to terms with his former business partner. Poor Alex is treated horribly at her private school, and she’s so innocent she doesn’t even see it. Oh, and that school! Benjamin must have had some insider info on people who send their children to private school. It is so funny. There’s a bit surrounding “the emotion board” that is laugh out loud funny. In fact, more than half the novel left me giggling and snorting laughing. It’s all so real.
Benjamin is able to show both sides of highly charged issues, and she does it with a dollop of humor (some dollops are bigger than others). But she also shows the heart-wrenching sides. The adult characters are portrayed warts and all. The character Alex, hopefully, will open eyes to the beauty of those ADHD children. Nonetheless, this is a story that shows how deeply fractured our society has become. Benjamin needed the humor to keep the reader on board. Otherwise, this story is a dark tragedy.
The ending was a total surprise to me. It was a plot twist I didn’t see coming and had me shaken.
The only complaint I had was with a strange illicit mushroom trip that I thought was distracting and not really necessary. Other than that, I feel that this is a novel that illuminates our culture in crisis.
I listened to the audio and enjoyed the narrators.
October 25, 2020
Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
This book was quite the challenge for me to get into. If I'm being honest, I wasn't interested in the story until about 90% in.
All of the characters really suck. The story takes place around Brett Kavanaugh's hearing, which I never wanted to relive (seriously, fuck that guy). Even though this is a frame story told from an unknown narrator, you mostly see through Ethan's POV, and I couldn't stand him. Not liking the main character really puts me off. They don't even have to be a good person, just give me something redeemable, ya know?
What really helped me get through the roughness was reading up on Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, which is the novel this book is replicating. Although I admire Wharton and her work, there's no way I will ever read Ethan Frome after reading this modern retelling. A major critique of the original is how bleak it is and how there are no morally good characters. I get that it's a reflection of reality, but holy shit that makes it difficult to read.
This book was on it's way to a one-star read, possibly even a DNF, but I pushed through, and I'm glad I did. That ending. Oh, man. That ending. I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I actually retroactively enjoyed the previous 90% of the novel. I even cried.
Not sure if a strong ending is enough for most people to push through a pretty bleak novel, but if that's your thing, this is the book for you.
Happy reading, fellow feminists!
This book was quite the challenge for me to get into. If I'm being honest, I wasn't interested in the story until about 90% in.
All of the characters really suck. The story takes place around Brett Kavanaugh's hearing, which I never wanted to relive (seriously, fuck that guy). Even though this is a frame story told from an unknown narrator, you mostly see through Ethan's POV, and I couldn't stand him. Not liking the main character really puts me off. They don't even have to be a good person, just give me something redeemable, ya know?
What really helped me get through the roughness was reading up on Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, which is the novel this book is replicating. Although I admire Wharton and her work, there's no way I will ever read Ethan Frome after reading this modern retelling. A major critique of the original is how bleak it is and how there are no morally good characters. I get that it's a reflection of reality, but holy shit that makes it difficult to read.
This book was on it's way to a one-star read, possibly even a DNF, but I pushed through, and I'm glad I did. That ending. Oh, man. That ending. I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I actually retroactively enjoyed the previous 90% of the novel. I even cried.
Not sure if a strong ending is enough for most people to push through a pretty bleak novel, but if that's your thing, this is the book for you.
Happy reading, fellow feminists!
November 4, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Smash-Up.
I wasn't sure what to expect but the blurb was intriguing and I was excited when my request was pleased.
** Minor boring spoilers ahead **
Sadly, this did not meet my expectations for a number of reasons:
1. The main characters, Ethan and Zo, are so so unlikable.
Zo needs to sit down with a psychiatrist and discuss the real reasons behind why she is so angry; Ethan needs to man up and stop acting like a cliche middle-aged husband lusting over the live-in babysitter.
2. The author jams all the political strife and agonies of our world into this, which is disheartening, depressing and made reading this all the more difficult.
3. Maddy is the typical millennial, and her character just a plot device to entice Ethan and spout an angry diatribe about the existential problems her demographic faces.
The Smash-Up is one of those books where a lot is happening but there's no cohesive thread; just stuff happening to privileged people you don't give one lick about.
I won't lie; I was bored out of my gourd and skimmed most of this.
I couldn't stand the narrative, the characters and what was happening (which was a whole lot of nothing).
The writing was great, but it couldn't save this story based on weak, sniveling characters and a story that went nowhere for too many pages.
I wasn't sure what to expect but the blurb was intriguing and I was excited when my request was pleased.
** Minor boring spoilers ahead **
Sadly, this did not meet my expectations for a number of reasons:
1. The main characters, Ethan and Zo, are so so unlikable.
Zo needs to sit down with a psychiatrist and discuss the real reasons behind why she is so angry; Ethan needs to man up and stop acting like a cliche middle-aged husband lusting over the live-in babysitter.
2. The author jams all the political strife and agonies of our world into this, which is disheartening, depressing and made reading this all the more difficult.
3. Maddy is the typical millennial, and her character just a plot device to entice Ethan and spout an angry diatribe about the existential problems her demographic faces.
The Smash-Up is one of those books where a lot is happening but there's no cohesive thread; just stuff happening to privileged people you don't give one lick about.
I won't lie; I was bored out of my gourd and skimmed most of this.
I couldn't stand the narrative, the characters and what was happening (which was a whole lot of nothing).
The writing was great, but it couldn't save this story based on weak, sniveling characters and a story that went nowhere for too many pages.
February 22, 2021
The Smash-Up is an intoxicating satirical novel that is sharply perceptive and follows a family that are upended when their small-town life becomes the latest battlefield in the culture wars in this of-the-moment adult debut. Inspired by Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome, it offers the shock of recognition as it deftly illuminates some of the biggest issues of our time. Life for Ethan and Zo (Zenobia) Frome used to be simple; Ethan co-founded a lucrative media marketing start-up, Bränd, and Zo was well on her way to becoming a successful independent filmmaker. Then sixteen years ago they decided to leave the fast-paced lifestyle in Brooklyn, New York and move to the rural community of Starkfield, Massachusetts for a little more tranquility, or so they thought. It's 2018, two years after Donald Trump’s presidential election and the Fromes are now middle-aged; they are more than aware that their family is splintering. The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings are being aired on television and Zo is barely home as she appears to be increasingly more consumed by political activism. The feminist protest group, All Them Witches, is run from her living room and she is irate over the hearings. Their marriage becomes strained as Zo becomes more distant and enraged and their finances are depleting rapidly yet she insists on rage buying furniture they don't need. This newfound political activism transforms Zo into a barely recognisable ball of outrage.
It isn't long before Ethan unwittingly becomes embroiled in the #MeToo movement when co-founder of his firm, Randy, asks him to help him ensure a Hollywood actress does not disclose her accusations against him else the company may be in jeopardy, which would ensure the residual cheques that the Fromes have been living on cease. Meanwhile, their 11-year-old daughter, Alex, continues to suffer from severe ADHD and coping with her is tough so they hired a live-in babysitter - 20-something Maddy - who Ethan begins lusting after, as if they didn't have enough problems already. The Smash-Up captures the zeitgeist of modern America accurately and with panache and just when you think you know the direction Benjamin is taking the plot she quickly flips the script and shocks you. This a captivating and realistic tale of middle-aged liberal anxiety in small town USA set against the backdrop of the divisive political climate of the time and the disintegration of a family who have grown apart from one another. It's richly described, full of wit and humorous moments, and thought provoking, and I found it is surprisingly rather suspenseful. Woven through the narrative is the sadness, rage and disillusionment of many people in the Trump era. This is a novel that packs a powerful emotional punch as the characters slowly begin to fall apart and the family sadly begins to fracture in a way that ensures they'll never be the same again. An intelligently plotted and compelling debut. Highly recommended.
It isn't long before Ethan unwittingly becomes embroiled in the #MeToo movement when co-founder of his firm, Randy, asks him to help him ensure a Hollywood actress does not disclose her accusations against him else the company may be in jeopardy, which would ensure the residual cheques that the Fromes have been living on cease. Meanwhile, their 11-year-old daughter, Alex, continues to suffer from severe ADHD and coping with her is tough so they hired a live-in babysitter - 20-something Maddy - who Ethan begins lusting after, as if they didn't have enough problems already. The Smash-Up captures the zeitgeist of modern America accurately and with panache and just when you think you know the direction Benjamin is taking the plot she quickly flips the script and shocks you. This a captivating and realistic tale of middle-aged liberal anxiety in small town USA set against the backdrop of the divisive political climate of the time and the disintegration of a family who have grown apart from one another. It's richly described, full of wit and humorous moments, and thought provoking, and I found it is surprisingly rather suspenseful. Woven through the narrative is the sadness, rage and disillusionment of many people in the Trump era. This is a novel that packs a powerful emotional punch as the characters slowly begin to fall apart and the family sadly begins to fracture in a way that ensures they'll never be the same again. An intelligently plotted and compelling debut. Highly recommended.
February 24, 2021
3.5 Stars
When Ethan Frome met the woman who would become his wife, Zenobia, Zo, she was filled with energy for producing her documentary films, while he was still busy building a marketing company with his college buddy, but they were already budding stars in the marketing industry. Early on his partner decides that California is where it’s at, and moves the company there. Ethan and Zo move to Starkfield, Massachusetts, where they currently reside along with their daughter, who has ADHD, needs medication which they seem to need to request refills on within a narrow window of time. Too early, and they won’t get the medication. Too late, and it’s, well, too late. Living with them is Maddy, who they hired to watch and help care for their daughter, whose lifestyle / morals are more than somewhat questionable for someone meant to care for a special needs child.
The story begins as the Brett Kavanaugh hearings are going on, and Zo’s women’s group All Them Witches, is meeting at Zo and Ethan’s home to watch, and commiserate. Meanwhile, Ethan’s former business partner is trying to convince Ethan to save his company from a similar fate by convincing an actress that was responsible for their success, to back off her lawsuit. It isn’t exactly a request, and he continues to call and pressure Ethan to do his bidding.
This was a moderately entertaining modern-day take on Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome. It does occasionally stray into an unconvincing, preposterous and over-the-top storyline with some less than lovable characters that made it difficult to root for anyone. Still, it managed to take a lighter look at how we managed to get to a point where we are, politically, as well as the male-dominated field of politics that seems to have a history of protecting men, even when they have committed heinous crimes. All that being said, I’m sure that some will find this amusing or even hilarious as it does contain some lighter moments.
Published: 23 Feb 2021
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House
March 19, 2021
When I read the blurb for this book I was so excited to read it!! At times I enjoyed this book and others, not so much. Unfortunately, I found myself not enjoying it more than I was actually enjoying it.
I can appreciate the author wanting to dive into heavy topics like the #metoo movement and the political state of the country, but that’s wasn’t enough to salvage the story.
These characters weren’t likable, and usually that wouldn’t determine my enjoyment of a book, but not only were they unlikeable, they were also boring and hard to connect with. Since this story is character driven rather than plot driven, it was hard to enjoy a story when you couldn’t even connect with what was driving it.
I can appreciate the author wanting to dive into heavy topics like the #metoo movement and the political state of the country, but that’s wasn’t enough to salvage the story.
These characters weren’t likable, and usually that wouldn’t determine my enjoyment of a book, but not only were they unlikeable, they were also boring and hard to connect with. Since this story is character driven rather than plot driven, it was hard to enjoy a story when you couldn’t even connect with what was driving it.
February 21, 2021
After 9/11, Ethan, co founder of a successful media firm who has sold his share of the business and Zo, a documentary filmmaker, escape from Brooklyn to rural Massachusetts. Here they start a new life with their challenging ADHD daughter, Alex. It is now 2018, and Zo has banded together with fellow female resisters after the shocking election of 2016, while Ethan is questioning his life and Alex is on the verge of being kicked out of her very expensive private school. As the country seems to spiral out of control, so does their life together in this modern take on the classic novel, Ethan Frome.
I really liked this book. I felt the author accurately captured and portrayed the time and the feelings of many. Her thoughts on aging, the world we live in and scary revelations about what social media is doing to us are perception and provocative, as is her question about what kind of world is being left for the next generation. The book begins with the question, “what happened?” and Ali Benjamin does a good job in showing how we got to where we are today and what has become of our society.
I really liked this book. I felt the author accurately captured and portrayed the time and the feelings of many. Her thoughts on aging, the world we live in and scary revelations about what social media is doing to us are perception and provocative, as is her question about what kind of world is being left for the next generation. The book begins with the question, “what happened?” and Ali Benjamin does a good job in showing how we got to where we are today and what has become of our society.
October 5, 2020
This is one of those books that is so heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching that it's difficult to put down. The Frome family is reeling from husband Ethan's company beginning to tank unless he blackmails one of the actresses, wife Zo who has become a poster-board-carrying liberal who runs a group of All Them Witches, and daughter Alex who has ADHD and can't find her niche in 6th grade private school. Add to the mix Maddy, a twenty-something boarder who intrigues Ethan since his wife has gone off the deep end, and you can see why this novel is upsetting and often difficult to read. Nevertheless, it's a timely and relevant satire that deals with so many of the #MeToo movement's difficulties, that we are forced to see both sides of these politically-charged issues. I admit that most of the characters are flawed and unlikeable (except for Alex who has charm even though she's an 11-year-old misfit), so you have to be able to suspend your disbelief and see beyond the stereotypes. The ending was unexpected and had me gasping a little, but overall, it's a heart-felt look at both sides of disagreements and the political tension that threatens to divide our country if we aren't careful.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
February 3, 2021
This is an IMPORTANT book. Taking place in the height of the #metoo movement and around the 2016 American election, this book tackles REAL issues that need REAL solutions both in book and in real life.
The writing was top-notch. Really. I'll probably read anything else this author writes. I just...didn't feel anything for the characters. Like, I was not at all emotionally invested in their lives. Ethan just had this push over, wet towel personality that I just kept feeling sorry for and Zo's activism felt grating (what kind of person would demand that the police arrest her for not being black?).
All of that aside, this is not a terrible book. It just wasn't for me.
I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.
The writing was top-notch. Really. I'll probably read anything else this author writes. I just...didn't feel anything for the characters. Like, I was not at all emotionally invested in their lives. Ethan just had this push over, wet towel personality that I just kept feeling sorry for and Zo's activism felt grating (what kind of person would demand that the police arrest her for not being black?).
All of that aside, this is not a terrible book. It just wasn't for me.
I want to thank NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.
April 16, 2021
The Smash-Up is a very much au courant novel inspired by Ethan Frome and current events. Set in a small town in western Massachusetts, this tale takes a middle-aged Gen X couple, their ADHD middle school daughter, their live in babysitter and a number of other characters to tell a story about feminism, activism, and modern politics. Ethan and Zo moved to this small town years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn and to have a nice family life. Back in NY, Ethan had help found a media/marketing company and Zo was an up & coming filmmaker. In their rural lives, Zo finds herself full embroiled in activism, jumping on the wave of feminism following Trump's election, the #metoo movement, and the Justice Kavanaugh hearings. . Ethan is left wondering what happened to his life and his wife.
This book was witty and clever with many observations about modern day America especially in regards to #metoo and activism. I really enjoyed this one. Being a Gen Xer, I could relate to Ethan and Zo, as both try to stay on top of what is happening in America, on social media, and more. Ethan wants to do right but has his stumbles. He is left perplexed by what the younger generation is doing, but at the same time doesn't want to blindly assist friends from his own generation. Somehow I seem to be reading a bunch of #metoo related books (fiction and non-fiction) in a row, but perhaps we are just hitting the wave of when these literary response are being published. Next wave will be the pandemic-related books. :). I highly recommend this one to folks who like books with a sly eye towards current day politics and feminism.
What to listen to while reading...
(all of these songs are mentioned in the novel)
Paradise City by Guns N'Roses
People Have the Power by Patti Smith
Revolution by The Beatles
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
What's Going on by Marvin Gaye
Straight Outta Vagina by Pussy Riot
Love Train by The O'Jays
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This book was witty and clever with many observations about modern day America especially in regards to #metoo and activism. I really enjoyed this one. Being a Gen Xer, I could relate to Ethan and Zo, as both try to stay on top of what is happening in America, on social media, and more. Ethan wants to do right but has his stumbles. He is left perplexed by what the younger generation is doing, but at the same time doesn't want to blindly assist friends from his own generation. Somehow I seem to be reading a bunch of #metoo related books (fiction and non-fiction) in a row, but perhaps we are just hitting the wave of when these literary response are being published. Next wave will be the pandemic-related books. :). I highly recommend this one to folks who like books with a sly eye towards current day politics and feminism.
What to listen to while reading...
(all of these songs are mentioned in the novel)
Paradise City by Guns N'Roses
People Have the Power by Patti Smith
Revolution by The Beatles
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
What's Going on by Marvin Gaye
Straight Outta Vagina by Pussy Riot
Love Train by The O'Jays
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
October 22, 2020
“What happened is people were hurting. What happened is people were afraid. What happened is that anger is stronger than fear, and so, for that matter, is hate. But it is easier to know what you want to burn down than it is to imagine what you might grow in its place.”
Taking place in the week of Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate hearing, the main character, Ethan, has become starkly aware of how he and his social justice warrior wife, Zo, are growing apart in their small-town life. She’s so focused on activism and establishing equity in America that he is no longer a priority for her, and it seems like their daughter is less and less so as well as he takes over most parenting duties and she shirks her work and is rarely home unless she’s invited over the local resistance group of women, All Them Witches. The result is an introspective journey volleying back and forth from Ethan’s early career in NYC to their shared present in the Berkshires, investigating all that comes with living in present-day America.
“All of these moments, all of the others, the one he remembers, the ones he doesn’t, their whole messy, complicated everything, has been distilled into a singularity that pops like a soap bubble and vanishes forever. That’s all over and it’s never coming back.”
For fans of Separation Anxiety and Fates and Furies, this is another a book of our time that presents multiple dialogues on how messy America has become and how all types— the young and the middle aged, the wealthy and those just getting by, the single people and the long-time married, the urbanites and suburban families— are managing, or not, to get through it all. It’s a delightfully deep dive into parenthood and materialism and imposter syndrome and righteousness and nihilism and lust and aging and being alive. I’d happily have stayed alongside Ethan for longer as I so enjoyed his awkward niceties and his daughter’s brilliant charm as well as Zo’s, and the witches’, burning rage.
“The weeping woman isn’t so sure she believes in humanity, not right now. But still. She pulls the car over. And that is the answer to the question Ethan used to ask me: what, exactly, is the point of a tiny protest, in the middle of nowhere, seen by almost no one? The point is that the person who does see might need exactly this, exactly now. The point is, her individual grief can become part of a collective one. The point is, this may or may not change the world, but it will almost certainly change her.”
Taking place in the week of Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate hearing, the main character, Ethan, has become starkly aware of how he and his social justice warrior wife, Zo, are growing apart in their small-town life. She’s so focused on activism and establishing equity in America that he is no longer a priority for her, and it seems like their daughter is less and less so as well as he takes over most parenting duties and she shirks her work and is rarely home unless she’s invited over the local resistance group of women, All Them Witches. The result is an introspective journey volleying back and forth from Ethan’s early career in NYC to their shared present in the Berkshires, investigating all that comes with living in present-day America.
“All of these moments, all of the others, the one he remembers, the ones he doesn’t, their whole messy, complicated everything, has been distilled into a singularity that pops like a soap bubble and vanishes forever. That’s all over and it’s never coming back.”
For fans of Separation Anxiety and Fates and Furies, this is another a book of our time that presents multiple dialogues on how messy America has become and how all types— the young and the middle aged, the wealthy and those just getting by, the single people and the long-time married, the urbanites and suburban families— are managing, or not, to get through it all. It’s a delightfully deep dive into parenthood and materialism and imposter syndrome and righteousness and nihilism and lust and aging and being alive. I’d happily have stayed alongside Ethan for longer as I so enjoyed his awkward niceties and his daughter’s brilliant charm as well as Zo’s, and the witches’, burning rage.
“The weeping woman isn’t so sure she believes in humanity, not right now. But still. She pulls the car over. And that is the answer to the question Ethan used to ask me: what, exactly, is the point of a tiny protest, in the middle of nowhere, seen by almost no one? The point is that the person who does see might need exactly this, exactly now. The point is, her individual grief can become part of a collective one. The point is, this may or may not change the world, but it will almost certainly change her.”
October 31, 2020
Wow!! This books was so real and difficult to read. It takes a bit to get into but by the half way mark I couldn't put it down. Something to know : this book takes place during the height of the #metoo movement and the Brett Kavanugh trial. I read this as Amy Coney Barrett got sworn in. A punch in the gut!
This was written from the husband's perspective, as his wife is becoming a strong political activist. Unlike some reviews, I didn't think Ethan was "a bad guy". I didn't dislike his wife either. She was caught up, like many of us right now, in politics, in abuses against women, and in the feeling of having our rights taken away. She was so passionate about her cause that her work and family were put on the back burner. And Ethan feels invisible and worse, like maybe she doesn't even like him anymore. There is so much to talk about with this one! I won't say more so that nothing is spoiled. It would make an incredible book club or a book for a couple to read together. This book will be released in February. I hope we will be in a better place to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it early.
This was written from the husband's perspective, as his wife is becoming a strong political activist. Unlike some reviews, I didn't think Ethan was "a bad guy". I didn't dislike his wife either. She was caught up, like many of us right now, in politics, in abuses against women, and in the feeling of having our rights taken away. She was so passionate about her cause that her work and family were put on the back burner. And Ethan feels invisible and worse, like maybe she doesn't even like him anymore. There is so much to talk about with this one! I won't say more so that nothing is spoiled. It would make an incredible book club or a book for a couple to read together. This book will be released in February. I hope we will be in a better place to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it early.
February 11, 2021
A fun, modern twist on Ethan Frome,' set against the backdrop of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings in a small, rich, white, suburban town. Fans of Wharton's novel will appreciate all of the subtle and overt nods to her original work, but I think this book stands on its own for those who have not read the inspiration.
It's a less than likable cast of characters. Ethan is a sad sack with little awareness of his own agency, Zo is essentially all the problems with white feminism personified, and Maddie is a walking millennial stereotype wrapped up in a blue-haired bow. While they frustrated me at times, I really enjoyed the parts they played in highlighting the unrest around current events.
The #MeToo movement was its own character in a way, but wasn't the only thing the characters grappled with. This was only one lens through which we saw the characters struggling to fit into their own lives. Ethan's backstory, and his reflection upon it given the current climate, was one of the most engaging parts of the novel for me.
There were a couple plot points that didn't quite land for me - for example, I found the way the Randy storyline played out a bit too neat and clean, given his characterization throughout the rest of the novel.
However, I LOVED the writing style - it was quirky, witty, and unsettling at times. I will absolutely read whatever Benjamin produces next.
Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!
It's a less than likable cast of characters. Ethan is a sad sack with little awareness of his own agency, Zo is essentially all the problems with white feminism personified, and Maddie is a walking millennial stereotype wrapped up in a blue-haired bow. While they frustrated me at times, I really enjoyed the parts they played in highlighting the unrest around current events.
The #MeToo movement was its own character in a way, but wasn't the only thing the characters grappled with. This was only one lens through which we saw the characters struggling to fit into their own lives. Ethan's backstory, and his reflection upon it given the current climate, was one of the most engaging parts of the novel for me.
There were a couple plot points that didn't quite land for me - for example, I found the way the Randy storyline played out a bit too neat and clean, given his characterization throughout the rest of the novel.
However, I LOVED the writing style - it was quirky, witty, and unsettling at times. I will absolutely read whatever Benjamin produces next.
Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!
October 17, 2020
This book was hard to get into. All of the characters were unlikeable, and the setting was depressing and almost dystopian. Set in contemporary times, a supposedly wealthy young couple has moved to a fashionable suburb to live out their LL Bean fantasy life, but it all goes south, and they're left to grapple with how to make meaning in a world where truth is relative and authenticity out of reach.
The main character, Ethan, is a middle-aged dad and husband who's unhappy, but not awake enough to question it. He founded a media company, along with a narcissistic and brilliant partner who is now demanding he do something completely unethical in the era of #MeToo. Zo, Ethan's wife, is swept up in the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings and despondent over the 2016 presidential election. She and her group of friends appear to be crazed in their feminist ragings. Alex, the 11-year-old daughter, is portrayed as somewhere between out of control and unhinged with what appears to be untreated ADHD, The fourth character is Maddie, a cynical (or quietly desperate) millennial who engages in an extremely questionable way to make money. Her job in the story is to serve as provocateur.
As we get deeper in, all of these characters become more sympathetic, but it's a bit of a slog getting there. In fact, one criticism of the writing is that at times the author goes off in meandering mind trips that I struggled to relate to the main story, but maybe that's just me. One spot of relief from the relentless negativity was the coffee shop gang, who were in the minority as real people and actual friends. Ethan is drawn to them.
The value of the novel is that it asks how one copes in a time when truth is a matter of interpretation and almost assumptively manipulable. Further, how does one find authenticity or meaning? It's a worthwhile question and I found the ending to be satisfying. However, I think this issue of how to live a relevant life in modern times was almost too much for this author, although I applaud her for taking it on.
The main character, Ethan, is a middle-aged dad and husband who's unhappy, but not awake enough to question it. He founded a media company, along with a narcissistic and brilliant partner who is now demanding he do something completely unethical in the era of #MeToo. Zo, Ethan's wife, is swept up in the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings and despondent over the 2016 presidential election. She and her group of friends appear to be crazed in their feminist ragings. Alex, the 11-year-old daughter, is portrayed as somewhere between out of control and unhinged with what appears to be untreated ADHD, The fourth character is Maddie, a cynical (or quietly desperate) millennial who engages in an extremely questionable way to make money. Her job in the story is to serve as provocateur.
As we get deeper in, all of these characters become more sympathetic, but it's a bit of a slog getting there. In fact, one criticism of the writing is that at times the author goes off in meandering mind trips that I struggled to relate to the main story, but maybe that's just me. One spot of relief from the relentless negativity was the coffee shop gang, who were in the minority as real people and actual friends. Ethan is drawn to them.
The value of the novel is that it asks how one copes in a time when truth is a matter of interpretation and almost assumptively manipulable. Further, how does one find authenticity or meaning? It's a worthwhile question and I found the ending to be satisfying. However, I think this issue of how to live a relevant life in modern times was almost too much for this author, although I applaud her for taking it on.
December 14, 2021
This is a VERY modern story, centered around the #metoo movement and the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. I'd say make sure you are up to reading about those topics and immersing yourself with what it feels like to be on the internet before picking this one up. I don't mind reading about these topics, but it definitely requires a certain headspace.
Overall, I liked this book, especially the way things came together in the ending which made the story for me. I thought it was an interesting choice that Benjamin chose to tell a story about #metoo through the perspective of a male main character. I liked it at times and at other times didn't like it. I also found it hard to be so immersed in the idea of cancel culture for the entire book.
I know this story is based on Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome and I think I may have gotten more out of the story if I had read that or been more familiar with that plotline. Overall, an interesting read!
Overall, I liked this book, especially the way things came together in the ending which made the story for me. I thought it was an interesting choice that Benjamin chose to tell a story about #metoo through the perspective of a male main character. I liked it at times and at other times didn't like it. I also found it hard to be so immersed in the idea of cancel culture for the entire book.
I know this story is based on Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome and I think I may have gotten more out of the story if I had read that or been more familiar with that plotline. Overall, an interesting read!
May 11, 2021
***Goodreads Giveaway Book***
Thank you Goodreads and Random House for this book. Rounding up 3.5-This story tackles many current issues, Me Too, Trump, parenting and the struggles of marriage. As others have said in their reviews, none of the characters are particularly likeable. I loved reading how the characters were responding to and being impacted by the issues. There were a couple of smaller characters that had a bit of surprise once you learned more about them at the end. The narrative switches quite a bit between first and third person and timelines. I found myself going back to read the beginning once I finished it. I felt there was a lot more that could have been done with these topics, came up a bit short for me.
Thank you Goodreads and Random House for this book. Rounding up 3.5-This story tackles many current issues, Me Too, Trump, parenting and the struggles of marriage. As others have said in their reviews, none of the characters are particularly likeable. I loved reading how the characters were responding to and being impacted by the issues. There were a couple of smaller characters that had a bit of surprise once you learned more about them at the end. The narrative switches quite a bit between first and third person and timelines. I found myself going back to read the beginning once I finished it. I felt there was a lot more that could have been done with these topics, came up a bit short for me.
March 11, 2021
I am officially a HUGE fan of Ali Benjamin and The Smash-Up was such a fantastic and perfect for me specifically kind of read.
I spent an unusually long time with this book because I had some major health issues going on while I was reading but I genuinely enjoyed getting to walk around inside and be with this story for such an extended amount of time. It’s difficult to write this review because I have so many thoughts. I didn’t always love the subject matter and even think I would’ve set down a book written about this period of time with such vivid description of our own recent hellish past but this author, I truly love her style. It feels familiar to me. There’s a lot of specifics in the tone and voice and level of detail that are similar to my own writing style and kind of have me suspecting the author is neuroatypical as well. I hesitate whether to bring this up but then the neuroatypicality of the young daughter is an important part of the story and I loved this little girl so fiercely because she was so similar to me as a child. She’s described as having ADHD and there are many similarities and a lot of overlap with autism spectrum disorders and with both conditions, we are only just learning what the symptoms even look like in women and girls. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was months shy of my 30th birthday though other women on the spectrum had been counting amongst them for a few years prior. I loved the depiction of Alex so much and much as the parents struggled (and I felt for them and for my own parents) maybe it’s my own outlook and just the thrill of seeing something so familiar in a book (especially because I grew up feeling like an alien and always thought I was the weirdest dang kid!) but I got so much out of the character of Alex and all the ways her neuroatypicality were illustrated and shown to us.
But there’s a certain neuroatypicality to the entire style of this book, in my opinion. I know it because of those similarities to my own fiction writing style. And I want to discuss it this way because I don’t otherwise know how and I’ve noticed through reading other books that the style of this book was kind of divisive amongst readers. Let me offer a perhaps unique look at what I think is going on there. This one is densely detailed. And while I think the historical detail and the choice to write that way about such recent history was an iffy decision and I have more to say on that below, that detail really is present in so many other areas as well. Some would perhaps say (much like my own reviews 😉) that it needs more editing. But that is such a spectrum-y kind of thing. Info dumps and passionate dives into nitty gritty details. And because this is how my mind works as well, I clicked SO well with it. More than that is the tone and voice. Most of the book is told through the husband, Ethan’s perspective and we are sort of in his head but not. There’s a casual tone rather like he’s chatting with you. I’m working on a novel that uses this same sort of voice and a certain sort of distanced first person perspective like this. The neuroatypicality comes in here because while it is a complete myth that folks on the spectrum have no empathy (personally, I subscribe to the “intense world” theory of autism and would argue many of us are hyper sensitive to others emotional states) it is still true that we (as well as people with ADHD and other forms of neurotypicality) sometimes struggle with theory of mind which is the ability to attribute beliefs, intents, emotions, desires, etc to oneself and others. How this shows up is much more complicated and nuanced and perhaps individual but the distanced way we see our characters in this which is so similar to how I write as well, is, I think related to how neuro atypical minds have to really work at interpreting and understanding others as well as sort of learn to serve as our own translators in explaining our own intent and emotions to neurotypical people. I know I personally tend to think in images and pictures first, like many autistics, and then have to translate it into words next. So even as a big reader and writer and someone who tends to express themselves best through writing, it’s still very difficult to use words to put someone inside a characters head. I think these things may be where some of this distance and the sense that the main character is in discussion with you instead of you being right inside their mind comes from. It also perhaps explains the detail. Perhaps, like me, our author is a bit of an over explainer- a trait I know I’ve personally developed because I am so often misinterpreted. Things get explained in a way through Ethan that they perhaps wouldn’t be if you were fully inside his head. This reads more like you’re a trusted confidante he’s confiding in.
Make of that info what you will but perhaps it’s a different way of figuring out if this one will work for or appeal to you. It’s also part of what made reading this one so special to me and there is something about it that really clicked with me on a special and familiar level. Something about the writing felt like coming home or even a little as if it had been written for me. When you spend your life feeling like an alien, it’s kind of magical when you find another of your kind. And for me personally, even if this was never the author or her works intent, so much about this book, both in writing style and content really speaks to my experience and way of looking at the world as an adult woman on the autism spectrum. It also was one of those right book, right time kind of reads for me. I have a notepad full of notes and quotes and thoughts and as I personally work on embracing the positive sides of autism while also accepting and learning to better work with the deficits and difficulties it causes and how much it adds such an extra level of difficulty and challenge to my already extremely difficult life as someone living with and managing a complex and severe life limiting physical illness- there was something to the whole Alex storyline that really spoke to me and even helped me sort through many of my thoughts and feelings and look at things from a different perspective.
I’m tempted to end the review here but there was one major thing that I had very mixed feelings on and that is Benjamin’s choice to really ground this story so deeply into recent US history. Trump’s election, the Women’s March, #MeToo, and especially the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearing play such an integral roles to the book and it’s plot and I think that’s a difficult thing to do with such recent and heated history. In my opinion Benjamin pulls it off very well, though I did think the ending was maybe a touch preachy.
I’d also be lying (or anything but my autistically blunt and longwinded self!) if I didn’t also put it out there that- This book also serves as a means for the author to preach her views about Trump, the internet and 24/7 news cycle, toxic masculinity, etc. It really does get quite preachy at times. You’ll find it smart and witty if you agree with the views espoused and catch on far sooner that it’s so preachy, if you don’t. Even as someone who largely agrees with the views shared, it got to be a bit much for me too at a couple of points.
I think that’s one of the great difficulties of writing a book so grounded in the politics and culture of a specific time, especially when writing about the contemporary era versus some form of historical fiction. This is a book that has the level of detail someone reading it fifty years from now would really appreciate- detail so specific you couldn’t help but be grounded in a very specific sense of time and place. It reads a bit odd right now though, as it’s much, much too recent. I suspect this is going to be the sort of thing that makes or breaks this book for many readers. I both did and didn’t like it at different points. Sometimes it’s a comfort to read about people struggling with the same reality you’re living through and sometimes it’s offputting and you would rather read to escape. The Smash-Up is definitely NOT an escapist read. But the author is mighty talented and it’s a great commiseration read if you need to commiserate on our current or very recent political and cultural realities.
For me personally, the several weeks I spent slowly savoring it felt like curling under a cozy blanket with a mug of hot cocoa. You can still hear the wind howling outside, feel the chill in the air, and life is undeniably really tough for almost all of us right now. It’s just like that in the book, the comfort but the familiar and difficult realities of the world equally as present. But if nothing else, it’s better to go through the world with a friend at your side and with the blanket and hot cocoa. I really enjoyed the whole up and down and so familiar and fascinating on so many levels journey through the world I took with this one. Recommended if you’re a liberal leaning and politically minded literary fiction fan looking for a book to commiserate and reflect with. Bonus points if you’re neurotypical and love seeing a great portrayal of it in fiction (and maybe you’ll click with the writing style the very special way I did). Many thanks to Ali Benjamin and her characters for being a friend on this journey through the world in a time when friends can be hard to find.
I spent an unusually long time with this book because I had some major health issues going on while I was reading but I genuinely enjoyed getting to walk around inside and be with this story for such an extended amount of time. It’s difficult to write this review because I have so many thoughts. I didn’t always love the subject matter and even think I would’ve set down a book written about this period of time with such vivid description of our own recent hellish past but this author, I truly love her style. It feels familiar to me. There’s a lot of specifics in the tone and voice and level of detail that are similar to my own writing style and kind of have me suspecting the author is neuroatypical as well. I hesitate whether to bring this up but then the neuroatypicality of the young daughter is an important part of the story and I loved this little girl so fiercely because she was so similar to me as a child. She’s described as having ADHD and there are many similarities and a lot of overlap with autism spectrum disorders and with both conditions, we are only just learning what the symptoms even look like in women and girls. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was months shy of my 30th birthday though other women on the spectrum had been counting amongst them for a few years prior. I loved the depiction of Alex so much and much as the parents struggled (and I felt for them and for my own parents) maybe it’s my own outlook and just the thrill of seeing something so familiar in a book (especially because I grew up feeling like an alien and always thought I was the weirdest dang kid!) but I got so much out of the character of Alex and all the ways her neuroatypicality were illustrated and shown to us.
But there’s a certain neuroatypicality to the entire style of this book, in my opinion. I know it because of those similarities to my own fiction writing style. And I want to discuss it this way because I don’t otherwise know how and I’ve noticed through reading other books that the style of this book was kind of divisive amongst readers. Let me offer a perhaps unique look at what I think is going on there. This one is densely detailed. And while I think the historical detail and the choice to write that way about such recent history was an iffy decision and I have more to say on that below, that detail really is present in so many other areas as well. Some would perhaps say (much like my own reviews 😉) that it needs more editing. But that is such a spectrum-y kind of thing. Info dumps and passionate dives into nitty gritty details. And because this is how my mind works as well, I clicked SO well with it. More than that is the tone and voice. Most of the book is told through the husband, Ethan’s perspective and we are sort of in his head but not. There’s a casual tone rather like he’s chatting with you. I’m working on a novel that uses this same sort of voice and a certain sort of distanced first person perspective like this. The neuroatypicality comes in here because while it is a complete myth that folks on the spectrum have no empathy (personally, I subscribe to the “intense world” theory of autism and would argue many of us are hyper sensitive to others emotional states) it is still true that we (as well as people with ADHD and other forms of neurotypicality) sometimes struggle with theory of mind which is the ability to attribute beliefs, intents, emotions, desires, etc to oneself and others. How this shows up is much more complicated and nuanced and perhaps individual but the distanced way we see our characters in this which is so similar to how I write as well, is, I think related to how neuro atypical minds have to really work at interpreting and understanding others as well as sort of learn to serve as our own translators in explaining our own intent and emotions to neurotypical people. I know I personally tend to think in images and pictures first, like many autistics, and then have to translate it into words next. So even as a big reader and writer and someone who tends to express themselves best through writing, it’s still very difficult to use words to put someone inside a characters head. I think these things may be where some of this distance and the sense that the main character is in discussion with you instead of you being right inside their mind comes from. It also perhaps explains the detail. Perhaps, like me, our author is a bit of an over explainer- a trait I know I’ve personally developed because I am so often misinterpreted. Things get explained in a way through Ethan that they perhaps wouldn’t be if you were fully inside his head. This reads more like you’re a trusted confidante he’s confiding in.
Make of that info what you will but perhaps it’s a different way of figuring out if this one will work for or appeal to you. It’s also part of what made reading this one so special to me and there is something about it that really clicked with me on a special and familiar level. Something about the writing felt like coming home or even a little as if it had been written for me. When you spend your life feeling like an alien, it’s kind of magical when you find another of your kind. And for me personally, even if this was never the author or her works intent, so much about this book, both in writing style and content really speaks to my experience and way of looking at the world as an adult woman on the autism spectrum. It also was one of those right book, right time kind of reads for me. I have a notepad full of notes and quotes and thoughts and as I personally work on embracing the positive sides of autism while also accepting and learning to better work with the deficits and difficulties it causes and how much it adds such an extra level of difficulty and challenge to my already extremely difficult life as someone living with and managing a complex and severe life limiting physical illness- there was something to the whole Alex storyline that really spoke to me and even helped me sort through many of my thoughts and feelings and look at things from a different perspective.
I’m tempted to end the review here but there was one major thing that I had very mixed feelings on and that is Benjamin’s choice to really ground this story so deeply into recent US history. Trump’s election, the Women’s March, #MeToo, and especially the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearing play such an integral roles to the book and it’s plot and I think that’s a difficult thing to do with such recent and heated history. In my opinion Benjamin pulls it off very well, though I did think the ending was maybe a touch preachy.
I’d also be lying (or anything but my autistically blunt and longwinded self!) if I didn’t also put it out there that- This book also serves as a means for the author to preach her views about Trump, the internet and 24/7 news cycle, toxic masculinity, etc. It really does get quite preachy at times. You’ll find it smart and witty if you agree with the views espoused and catch on far sooner that it’s so preachy, if you don’t. Even as someone who largely agrees with the views shared, it got to be a bit much for me too at a couple of points.
I think that’s one of the great difficulties of writing a book so grounded in the politics and culture of a specific time, especially when writing about the contemporary era versus some form of historical fiction. This is a book that has the level of detail someone reading it fifty years from now would really appreciate- detail so specific you couldn’t help but be grounded in a very specific sense of time and place. It reads a bit odd right now though, as it’s much, much too recent. I suspect this is going to be the sort of thing that makes or breaks this book for many readers. I both did and didn’t like it at different points. Sometimes it’s a comfort to read about people struggling with the same reality you’re living through and sometimes it’s offputting and you would rather read to escape. The Smash-Up is definitely NOT an escapist read. But the author is mighty talented and it’s a great commiseration read if you need to commiserate on our current or very recent political and cultural realities.
For me personally, the several weeks I spent slowly savoring it felt like curling under a cozy blanket with a mug of hot cocoa. You can still hear the wind howling outside, feel the chill in the air, and life is undeniably really tough for almost all of us right now. It’s just like that in the book, the comfort but the familiar and difficult realities of the world equally as present. But if nothing else, it’s better to go through the world with a friend at your side and with the blanket and hot cocoa. I really enjoyed the whole up and down and so familiar and fascinating on so many levels journey through the world I took with this one. Recommended if you’re a liberal leaning and politically minded literary fiction fan looking for a book to commiserate and reflect with. Bonus points if you’re neurotypical and love seeing a great portrayal of it in fiction (and maybe you’ll click with the writing style the very special way I did). Many thanks to Ali Benjamin and her characters for being a friend on this journey through the world in a time when friends can be hard to find.
July 8, 2022
This book takes female angst and activism to a whole new level.
This book fits nicely into current events (activism, gig work, saving a business, a child with some issues), so the overall plot was nice and intriguing. A lot of parts just seemed to be over the top for me.
A far as characters go, Ethan seemed fairly normal, Zoe was way over the top, and Alex was too annoying that she got on my nerves. I didn't feel those connections I was hoping for, but can understand why they were written the way they were.
If you want a good feminist read, this is a book for you.
This book fits nicely into current events (activism, gig work, saving a business, a child with some issues), so the overall plot was nice and intriguing. A lot of parts just seemed to be over the top for me.
A far as characters go, Ethan seemed fairly normal, Zoe was way over the top, and Alex was too annoying that she got on my nerves. I didn't feel those connections I was hoping for, but can understand why they were written the way they were.
If you want a good feminist read, this is a book for you.
July 3, 2021
smart, funny and very timely
December 16, 2020
THE SMASH-UP by Ali Benjamin is a novel about a family living in small town America. The main character, Ethan, struggles to live his life when his former business partner faces MeToo allegations and his wife gets deep into political activism. I found the premise compelling and the family dynamics were very interesting to read. I couldn’t connect to Ethan at all especially when he entertained the idea of having an affair which seemed so cliche. His wife Zo was the more dynamic character. I liked the witty writing style and the pacing as I read it in 24 hours but I felt there was more closure needed in the end.
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Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for my advance review copy!
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Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for my advance review copy!
February 24, 2021
The Smash-Up is a loose modernization of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton--a novella that ignited my love of reading literature when I was in high school. It may seem strange that such a sad, stark, and lonely book would be the story that would pique a teenager’s interest, but I became intrigued by Wharton’s writing, the very adult-like themes, and the morally grey characters. And all that snow! While The Smash-Up lacks the snow, the author still succeeds in keeping Wharton’s bleak tone and questionable characters.
I first read Ali Benjamin years ago when I was approved for an ARC of her middle grade book, The Thing About Jellyfish. And I was so impressed with it. It didn’t read like a middle grade book at all. The writing was beautiful and the characters were fleshed out. While that’s about the only similarities I can find between these two books—even though it has been years since I read Jellyfish—I was once again impressed with the depth and clarity the author brought to the story.
The Smash-Up will probably be a divisive book. Most of the characters may be considered unlikeable, but for me that was the point. Much like Ethan Frome. But Benjamin has brought these characters into the turbulent present.
Ethan is a bit aimless, relying on his past accomplishments, lacking much desire to create something new, spending most of his time focused on his exuberant daughter diagnosed with ADHD. Zo, his wife, a filmmaker who hasn’t created anything new herself, is devoting all her time and energy to her friends and their efforts to support the #metoo movement. And Maddy is the young woman they have invited into their home to help with their daughter.
Ethan feels pulled toward Maddy’s carefree ways, missing the closeness he used to have with Zo who no longer makes time for him. When their daughter’s private school is ready to push her out, Zo is gearing up for a protest rally, and Ethan’s past comes back to haunt him, things come to a boiling point for this family.
Even though it’s not a happy novel, I did enjoy this one. There’s much to think and debate about. It would make an excellent book club book. My past college student self would have enjoyed researching and writing an essay comparing The Smash-Up with its original inspiration.
I hope readers give this one a chance and don’t immediately close themselves off to it. It’s a reminder that we’re all human. And while it’s easy to think we should avoid those who think and believe differently than we do, it’s really not the healthy thing to do. It only perpetuates the circle of ignorance and apathy toward each other.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy.
Check out my review at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #34 - a book about a social justice issue)
I first read Ali Benjamin years ago when I was approved for an ARC of her middle grade book, The Thing About Jellyfish. And I was so impressed with it. It didn’t read like a middle grade book at all. The writing was beautiful and the characters were fleshed out. While that’s about the only similarities I can find between these two books—even though it has been years since I read Jellyfish—I was once again impressed with the depth and clarity the author brought to the story.
The Smash-Up will probably be a divisive book. Most of the characters may be considered unlikeable, but for me that was the point. Much like Ethan Frome. But Benjamin has brought these characters into the turbulent present.
Ethan is a bit aimless, relying on his past accomplishments, lacking much desire to create something new, spending most of his time focused on his exuberant daughter diagnosed with ADHD. Zo, his wife, a filmmaker who hasn’t created anything new herself, is devoting all her time and energy to her friends and their efforts to support the #metoo movement. And Maddy is the young woman they have invited into their home to help with their daughter.
Ethan feels pulled toward Maddy’s carefree ways, missing the closeness he used to have with Zo who no longer makes time for him. When their daughter’s private school is ready to push her out, Zo is gearing up for a protest rally, and Ethan’s past comes back to haunt him, things come to a boiling point for this family.
Even though it’s not a happy novel, I did enjoy this one. There’s much to think and debate about. It would make an excellent book club book. My past college student self would have enjoyed researching and writing an essay comparing The Smash-Up with its original inspiration.
I hope readers give this one a chance and don’t immediately close themselves off to it. It’s a reminder that we’re all human. And while it’s easy to think we should avoid those who think and believe differently than we do, it’s really not the healthy thing to do. It only perpetuates the circle of ignorance and apathy toward each other.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy.
Check out my review at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #34 - a book about a social justice issue)
March 3, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an egalley in exchange for an honest review
I am not sure I wanted to find myself in the middle of a marital union imploding but Ali Benjamin placed me there. Inspired/Influenced by Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, this contemporary novel takes us back to a time of political and social upheaval. Of course, I am talking about the USA in 2016. Ethan Frome finds his home resembling more of a battleground as his wife and her friends are busy with their Resistance movement on the heels of a controversial Supreme Court nomination, their daughter faces expulsion from her alternative school, his old business partner could be the latest exposure in the #MeToo movement and the live-in babysitter offers all sorts of temptation.
I liked the nod to Wharton, the different storylines that merge in this novel but oh these characters( well, more specifically Ethan) infuriated me. Which I guess means that the author did her job of invoking such strong emotions into my reading experience.
Publication Date 23/02/21
Goodreads review 03/03/21
#TheSmashUp #NetGalley
I am not sure I wanted to find myself in the middle of a marital union imploding but Ali Benjamin placed me there. Inspired/Influenced by Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, this contemporary novel takes us back to a time of political and social upheaval. Of course, I am talking about the USA in 2016. Ethan Frome finds his home resembling more of a battleground as his wife and her friends are busy with their Resistance movement on the heels of a controversial Supreme Court nomination, their daughter faces expulsion from her alternative school, his old business partner could be the latest exposure in the #MeToo movement and the live-in babysitter offers all sorts of temptation.
I liked the nod to Wharton, the different storylines that merge in this novel but oh these characters( well, more specifically Ethan) infuriated me. Which I guess means that the author did her job of invoking such strong emotions into my reading experience.
Publication Date 23/02/21
Goodreads review 03/03/21
#TheSmashUp #NetGalley
March 20, 2021
This is a fascinating book which I'm feeling conflicting feels about even hours after putting it down. Arguably a #metoo novel but told from the perspective of a man, THE SMASH-UP is a modern re-telling of ETHAN FROME by Edith Wharton. This version takes place during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings (yes, it's just as painful to live through again in a fictional setting). and centers around a family of Ethan, his wife Zo, and their hyperactive daughter Alex. They also have a live-in nanny Maddy, who causes chaos and whose actions set off disastrous consequences for all of them in different ways.
This book is extremely "of it's time." It is seeped in musings on the current political climate and uncomfortable truths. If you want to escape, this is not the book for you. However, Benjamin's writing is exciting and clever and I felt like I was on a roller-coaster that I sometimes wanted to get off of. The ending especially is impossible to put down and pretty much broke my heart. It raises a lot of questions and would be a perfect book club book - I know I wish I had someone to chat about this one with right now. Proceed at your own risk, but I think it will be worth it if this is something you're in the mood for.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is extremely "of it's time." It is seeped in musings on the current political climate and uncomfortable truths. If you want to escape, this is not the book for you. However, Benjamin's writing is exciting and clever and I felt like I was on a roller-coaster that I sometimes wanted to get off of. The ending especially is impossible to put down and pretty much broke my heart. It raises a lot of questions and would be a perfect book club book - I know I wish I had someone to chat about this one with right now. Proceed at your own risk, but I think it will be worth it if this is something you're in the mood for.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2022
I was almost done with this one before it finally came together and got my attention which is unfortunate because when it came together it was actually pretty good. The main characters are pretty unlikeable, which normally does not matter to me but in this case it did not help with my engagement in the story. There were a lot of elements that the author tried to capture in here (politics, #metoo, etc.) that again I think were altogether too many but like I said by the end it was good.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital copy to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital copy to review.
June 11, 2021
2.5 stars. A muddle of Ethan Frome and #MeToo that doesn't do justice to either. Benjamin "updates" Edith Wharton's classic novel (same characters, same setting, same plot--mostly--with some ostensibly relevant additions)--but the question is why? The story really goes off the deep end with the--spoiler alert--psychedelic mushroom trip. If there's something more here, I must have missed it.
February 22, 2022
Tightly plotted, engaging characters, rich in thought-provoking analysis, Benjamin has written the first truly superb "Trump Era" novel I've read. Not only does she capture the insanity of the moment - the story takes place over the days of the Kavanaugh hearing -- she does it with humor and humanity.
March 17, 2021
I loved it! A modern family story based around the confirmation of SCOTUS Brett Kavanaugh and the rage it causes Zo and her group of friends All Them Witches. A modern take on Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome." Brilliant!
April 8, 2021
Essential, perfect
Oh, what a perfect book on almost every level. Grateful this was written. It captures an era, a mindset snd a culture in a pivotal moment with deep intensity and meaning.
Oh, what a perfect book on almost every level. Grateful this was written. It captures an era, a mindset snd a culture in a pivotal moment with deep intensity and meaning.
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