Quick take
A wacky mother-daughter tale that shifts between hilarious and heart-wrenching.
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Now a movie
Synopsis
Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect; and to 15-year-old Bee, she is her best friend and, simply, Mom.
Then Bernadette vanishes. It all began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle—and people in general—has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.
To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, and secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and surprisingly touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.
Member ratings (4,211)
Katherine O.
Philadelphia, PA
Entertaining story with lots of moving parts that tied up very nicely at the end. Liked that it included some interesting info (architecture, Antarctica) but wasn’t overdone with dense info. 5 stars!
Nicole R.
Columbus, OH
I’ve wanted to read this for so long and am glad I finally did! Great plot twists and easy to follow, even with some time jumps. You love some characters, hate others, but they all fit together well!
Bri B.
Tampa, FL
This story really shows a different point of view on what it’s like to be a woman and a mom. Shining light on the struggles of losing, finding and redefining ones self, there book is truly inspiring
Morgan K.
Lancaster, CA
Like Sourdough meets The Fountainhead with a whole bunch of other wild sh*t thrown in between. I was not expecting this book to be as awesome as it was, will definitely need to pick up more by Semple.
Danielle W.
New York, NY
Excellent well-paced story & satire. Loved all of the casual observations Semple makes about the banality and "important" trivial incidents of everyday life. Keeps you guessing right up until the end!