Where'd You Go, Bernadette

I just adore the odd, dysfunctional Bernadette Fox.

From her people-aversion to the bizarre truths she has formed her world around, I find her to be both indestructible + muddled, brilliant + thick, exasperating + lovable.

I felt sections of this book could've been axed or shaken to keep the story seamless. The constant character switchback allows Semple a five-dimensional tale in chronological order. However, it snags, not allowing you to sit with a character before you're whisked away to a “This Just In” segment of another character's development.

Semple excels in laying out the subtitles of a character's thought stream, assessments so relatable and offensive, only an author courageous and witty would lay out a persona so raw, so refreshing.