When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories by Molly Ringwald
Copyright 2012
Harper It Books - Fiction
237 pp.
His turn as Trigorin in The Seagull had been hailed as "superlative" (according to the college newspaper), matched only by his interpretation of Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, in which local reviewers found in Peter that intangible fusion of intensity and irresistible insouciance--in short, the elusive charisma that is the golden ticket for any young actor.
In When It Happens to You, Molly Ringwald explores modern relationships -- love (including that between parent and child), attraction, betrayal, heartbreak and healing in a series of interconnected short stories.
I chose the excerpt above because "that intangible fusion of intensity and irresistible insouciance"struck me as representative of the author's grasp of language. When It Happens to You is surprisingly well-written. Apart from a few minor grammatical errors, there was absolutely nothing that jumped out at me as worthy of criticism. I'd heard early comments to that effect and decided I had to see for myself. I love the way the stories in When It Happens to You are interconnected without always being immediately obvious in their connection. Ringwald really has a way of dragging readers into her stories, immersing them in characterization and setting and then yanking out the emotional rug without totally removing hope from the equation.
The bottom line: Highly recommended, no-holds-barred writing (there are R-rated moments). I'm impressed.
Cover thoughts: Love the pretty, graphic cover. It's appealing and strong, very eye-catching in my humble opinion. I always try to match my bookmarks to the covers of the books that I'm reading and because of that little flash of tomato red wording, "a novel in stories", I used a bookmark with a photo I took of rows of tomatoes. They looked terrific together and made me think, "Hmm, I need to incorporate teal and tomato red in my decorating, somewhere." Weird but true.
I'm writing my review of When It Happens to You late on a Saturday night because both sons, my daughter-in-law, my grand-dog and Kiddo's girlfriend are all here. My daughter-in-law said she'd love to read Molly Ringwald's latest book, so I figured I'd better whip out a review before the book walks out the door.
Meanwhile, we finally have a carved jack-o'-lantern, thanks to Kiddo's girlfriend. Isn't it cute?
This has been a truly fun weekend. Fiona has handled the influx of visitors well (including the canine) but poor Isabel has retreated to the closet to have a nervous breakdown. I considered it a major victory when I peeked into the closet and saw that she's eaten some of the food I set out for her, even if it wasn't much. She is such a sensitive girl.
From the Haiku book I just purchased, yesterday, and promptly read:
Best to those who are expecting bad weather or bracing for a tsunami.
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