Book #24: Someone by Alice McDermott

I read about this on a book blog I follow, and the woman reviewing it said something like, "Someone asked what this book was about, and I said that it wasn't really about anything. But it was still amazing." That actually seemed like a stellar enough review (with other words, of course; it wasn't just that one sentence) that I was definitely interested in checking it out. The wait at the library took forever (another sign it will be worthwhile, I feel like) but I finally got it and made it through on our plane flight to Texas yesterday. Literally--started it a few minutes into the air and then finished it while we were taxiing. Perfect timing. The book is not very long but it still feels full of insight and gives you these amazing snapshots into the main character (Marie)'s life, which make you feel like you know everything about her.

The book starts with Marie when she is seven, during the Great Depression, and waiting outside of her Brooklyn apartment for her dad to come home from work. She has several conversations with neighbors and you learn about her Irish-Catholic neighborhood, and you get a look into Marie's head and get a sense of her personality and family. And that's basically how the book goes: you get different snapshots of time in Marie's life--when she's working as an assistant to an undertaker, her first heartbreak, the birth of her first child--and just have to fill in the gaps from the context provided. I thoroughly enjoyed this portrait of Marie (which is what it really seemed like it was)--it was beautiful and definitely got me thinking.