"This is why you must love life: one day you're offering up your social security number to the Russian Mafia; two weeks later you're using the word calve as a verb"
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is probably one of the most hilarious fictional books I've read thus far. It's hard to describe this book in a few sentences because there's just so much going on. However, it's far from sloppy and confusing. Everything is so nicely tied together. The story line is just as quirky as all the colorful characters.
When Bee Branch aces her middle school report card she is rewarded by her parents, Bernadette Fox and Elgin Branch, with a trip to Antarctica. As the trip comes closer and closer, the life of Bernadette- who is somewhat of a recluse- spins slightly more and more out-of-control thanks to a series of unfortunate and misunderstood accidents. These accidents range from anything from being accused of running over another mother's foot in the school car line to erecting a massive billboard which in turn causes a mudslide which destroys her neighbor's home. The book is comprised mostly of emails, notes, faxes, and letters that describe these events that led up to Bernadette's disappearance.
I really loved this book, my only complaint would be that Bee's character seemed much younger than 14/15. Despite her intelligence, I kept having to remind myself that she was a teenager and not a child. I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the narrator's chosen voice for Bee didn't help. Even if it weren't for the voice given to Bee by the narrator she still comes across as somewhere between 9 and 11-years-old to me.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is still one of the best books in the fiction genre I've read in quite a while, so I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light, and hip read.
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