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A few weeks ago I posted about the new SheKnows Book Club; the first pick was Irene Zutell’s Pieces of Happily Ever After. When I saw the cover I thought, oh, this looks cute (and light) … look how the little girl is chasing butterflies made from puzzle pieces … fun!
Then I started to read this debut novel, and realized that I had mis-judged a book by its cover. Pieces of Happily Ever After isn’t so much cute as it clever (and approachable). What I mean to say is – Irene Zutell weaves a story of realistic situations tempered by bits of humor (hyperbole even), which make reading about difficult situations bearable.
At a school meeting, Alice learns something similar:
Nancy keeps talking. She seems nice but I can’t get past her sweatshirt. It’s got a picture of Winnie the Pooh sticking his paw into a beehive. “I love my honeys,” it reads. Underneath it reads “Ethan and Sarah.” I know it sounds incredibly superficial of me but I can’t imagine becoming friends with a woman who wears a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt. … This could be the most wonderful person in the Valley but all I see is the sweatshirt. What kind of person wears a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt? What kind of person judges someone who wears a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt?
Alice Hirsch is in a terrible situation. Not only has her husband left her for another woman, but that woman happens to be a movie star, so the paparazzi of suburban L.A. trail her like a shadow.
While she’s dealing with the shock of her crumbling marriage, Alice tries to keep things as “normal” as possible for her young daughter, Gabby, who is just starting Kindergarten. Alice tries to juggle playdates, school responsibilities, and a neighborhood committee, but keeps getting sidetracked by the never-ending rumors about her estranged husband and his movie star girlfriend. Alex and Rose seem to be able to offer Gabby everything a little princess could want – tough competition for Alice, who feels overwhelmed.
Tugging on Alice’s other hand is her elderly mother who is in a “board and care” facility nearby, suffering from Alzheimer’s and in declining health. Alice desperately wants the comfort of her mother’s words and care, but she is unable to provide it. More and more, Alice becomes caregiver to both her mother and her daughter, truly a member of the ’sandwich generation.’ The relationship between Alice and her mother, and the way Alice deals with the decline of her mental and physical health are both heartbreaking for the sense of loss and heartwarming for the true love and acceptance that Zutell portrays.There are about a dozen other characters who have smaller, yet significant, impact on Alice. The three generations of women/girls most impacted my reading of Pieces of Happily Ever After. I enjoyed Gabby for what she brought out in Alice, more so than for herself as a character (perhaps because, as the mother of a 5-year-old, I like to escape from them in my reading!).
Moral of the review: it’s true, don’t judge a book by its cover. All those puzzle pieces that little girl is chasing get caught in the net of a sweet story.