Weather by Jenny Offill
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults, Teens
What is This Book About?: Protagonist Lizzie juggles the complicated facets of her world with wit, intermittent aplomb, and a relatable impending sense of doom. Her inner observations provide glimpses of her roles as a (feral) librarian, wife, parent, caretaker, and reluctant assistant to her former mentor, while the looming crises of political dysfunction and climate disaster cast their shadows on her daily life. It may be quite possible to drown while attempting to save everyone around you…
My Review: “The moon will be fine, I think. No one’s worrying about the moon.” I’m not sure how a book can be both hazy and precise, but Offill’s floating/fleeting thoughts and vignettes come together in a way that’s more effective and engaging than most attempts at stream of consciousness. The tension between the competing layers and obligations (chosen and imposed) show a realistic attempt to balance the existential with the mundane. There’s no major catalyst, but the story unfolds as mounting pressure mixes with anxiety, codependency, temptations, and the inescapable calamities of the present. This story exposes the dynamics of our internal and external landscapes and suggests, maybe, that not moving forward isn’t ever really an option. The good news is all this doomsday despair is observed with humor as subtle and stinging as a handful of papercuts — I cannot recommend this book enough.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Atmospheric, Clever, Relevant
Give This a Try if You Like… Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
