Summary from GoodReads:

Jean Vale Horemarsh is an ordinary, small-town woman with the usual challenges of middle age. She’s content, mostly, with the life she’s built: a semi-successful career as a ceramics artist, a close collection of women friends (if you ignore the terrible falling out she had with Cheryl all those years ago), a comfortable marriage with a kind if otherwise unextraordinary man. And then Jean sees her mother go through the final devastating months of cancer, and realizes that her fondest wish is to protect her dearest friends from the indignities of aging and illness. That’s when she decides to kill them . . .

My Review:

I really, really, really wanted to love this book.  I’ve been on such a good run, and recently read a book (Fathermucker by Greg Olear) that had me in stitches.  It wasn’t until fairly recently that I started to really get into the harder edge of comedy that these types of books offer, so I, like I said earlier, I really wanted to like this one.

But I didn’t.

This is why:

Jean is not a likeable character.  She seems to break(? I don’t know if that’s the right word for it, but it most describes what I felt about it) after her mothers death and rather then finding a dark humor in the story, I just felt incredible pity and a lot of anxiety.  I didn’t want Jean to get caught, but I didn’t agree with her actions either – or understand them fully, really.

I think the breaking point though, the moment I really just fell off the wagon and admitted to myself that I just didn’t get it, was during a pivotal moment in the book.  I don’t want to say too much, but Jean basically takes away all climax to the story with a single speech. It felt.. contrived and out of character for her – not to mention the rest of the story seeming just too convenient.

I think I understand what Cole was attempting to do with the story, I just don’t feel there was enough of Jean to really like, or dislike.  I felt pity, yes, but she isn’t a character that will stick with me.  She seemed somewhat.. bland, like an unseasoned bowl of oatmeal.

About the Author

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