My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Last year I learned about Auden's Five Verdicts when you are evaluating a book. When I finished this for book club, I immediately thought that one of those verdicts would apply here: I can see that this is good, but I don't like it. This book challenged me. It is more than just a story, a story that is so improbable that I was forced to look for the message in it. (worth noting that I love book club for exactly this reason - I read and try to finish books I would otherwise not pick up or possibly finish). This author is clearly a gifted writer. This book is very very well written. I just had a hard time reading it. I wonder if it is because we are in such an uncertain and dark time with Coronavirus quarantines and concerns and over 60,000 dead Americans in a short time that this was hard to read. I've found myself searching for fluffy, easy, hopeful books over the past month. Having said that, I feel like this book is so good at describing a person who just wants to pull the covers over their head and come out when things are better. If the author is trying to paint a picture of a time before social media and smartphones had taken over our society, of a person so privileged they forget the meaning and value in things and other people, then I think she succeeded. A harsh light is shone on the characters and displays the real people they are, “worts and all” as the saying goes. There are certainly no filters and no public faces elaborated on here. I will likely read more from this author, but probably not until the reality around me looks a bit brighter.