I Hate False Advertising

The blurb on the back of the book called it a "light, snappy read." My best friend sent it to me in one of her famous care packages. I suspected it was going to come under the category of 'chick lit' and put it aside in favor of some mystery novels set in Alaska and other literary pleasures. I finally picked it up this week, mostly out of guilt because my friend keeps asking if I've read it yet. And partially because I know we have similar taste in books and she wouldn't send it if it wasn't good.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

It's not chick lit. It's not frivolous. It's most definitely NOT a "light, snappy read." It was gut-wrenching, laugh-out-loud, wipe-your-tears-away wonderful. It was another of those 'girls are friends forever' books. It follows five housewives through three decades, using their monthly book club selections as a way of telling parts of their stories. Spousal abuse, miscarriage, infidelity, hidden secrets, death - it's all there and it's all real. It's not a soap opera, it's real life, brought into your living room in ugly, bright light. The story also relates the joy and the peace and the wonder of having friends who will stand by you through anything, even when you can't stand yourself. It also has one of my favorite lines ever in a book, spoken by one of the characters in one of her many crises, just as she dug her spoon into a carton of rocky road -

"Why does ice cream always come before prayer?"

I'm not what you'd call a devout Christian - today, the minister actually looked surprised to see us at church, which is a pretty strong statement about how long it'd been since we'd passed through the doors, although I guess it's good that he recognized us! - but that line gave me a good laugh. My comfort of choice always starts with the food and then moves on to the final line of defense only when necessary. That says something about my level of involvement in my faith... but that's a conversation for another day.

Oh, and Natalie's hamster died today. Crystal had only been with us a month or so. Her death was a shock. I did what any good mother would do - I immediately took my 7 year old to the pet store to buy another hamster. Buster is a black bear hamster. He's about twice the size of the previous hamster and I'm hoping his life span will be a tad longer. My daughter and I talked about how hard it is when a pet dies. It was a good conversation and I was feeling proud of myself until we heard her sobbing in her room tonight. The new hamster is good... but the old hamster was good too. Things we love can't be replaced without consequences.