Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

I grew up on the rainy side of the Cascades. I moved away for awhile and was freaked out by a year of blue skies in Northern California as they went through a drought, but then got pretty used to it. Dry skies and actual seasons for a few years in Colorado seemed pretty neat and we moved back to that on the dry East side of the Cascades. I talked with someone in Salem before our move who commented on it being the 99^th day of straight rain; it seemed like he was bragging! All this to explain why I do feel somewhat nostalgic about books set in Seattle, or points north, that bring up rain and blackberries (one thing I do miss about the rainy side). Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins is an example of this somewhat limited genre as is Where’d You Go, Bernadette. 

Where’d You Go, Bernadette has a whacky contemporary feel to it. Bernadette is trying to adjust to life in Seattle after moving from LA – it’s been more than 10 years since they moved. She’s married and has an 8^th grader at a nearby private school. She calls all the other parents at the school “gnats.” That gives you an idea of how well she’s adjusting. Her husband is a big shot at Microsoft and there’s even a depiction of him giving a TED talk in the book. If you haven’t listened to any TED talks before, here’s a good one to start with: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html. The author also likes it.

The action starts to really pick up when Bernadette’s daughter, Bee, requests a trip to Antarctica. Bernadette doesn’t really leave the house so this entails her hiring a virtual assistant from India. The story is partly told via the e-mails between Bernadette and this assistant. It’s also told from the point-of-view of her daughter after Bernadette’s gone missing and Bee is trying to find any information about her at all. Bernadette’s back story as an architect is pretty interesting. 

This is a fun book. I think PNW’s will appreciate it as well as any of those exiled from these parts and missing it. If anyone knows of other fiction books that fit into this genre, I’d love to hear about them.

When the Killing's Done by T. C. Boyle

I have one of T. C. Boyle’s books, The Tortilla Curtain, in my top ten favorite fiction list. I was happy to see he had a new novel come out recently. After reading it, I think I might like it even more than The Tortilla Curtain. Boyle has an interesting way of taking current controversial topics and forcing you to see the craziness on both sides.

The title refers to the removal, by the National Park Service, of non-native invasive species from the Northern Channel Islands near Santa Barbara. Headed by biologist Alma Boyd Takesue they plan to remove first rats from one island and then pigs from another. These plans are fiercely opposed by Dave LaJoy, who is against the killing of any creature. There are some interesting back stories as well. Alma’s grandmother was shipwrecked on one of the islands and Dave’s girlfriend spent time living on another one.

The book has a crazy scene on Santa Cruz Island with Dave and his crew trying to sabotage the pig hunt while Alma is with the pig hunters. It’s a disaster in the way that only Boyle’s books can pull off plausibly.

I highly recommend this book, although it’s not a feel good type of book. It did make me want to visit these islands though.