Kaui Hart Hemmings

Yes, I read this because Alexander Payne made a movie. But wow, so glad I did. I have read many books over the years that have a first-person narrator who is wigging out with anxiety over problems, real and perceived. Most of those narrators I have wanted to slap. The whining, the angst, the self-indulgence just rankles me (maybe because it hits so close to home). But Hemmings' Matt King has the perfect narrative voice. He has REAL problems and earns every second of his emotional turmoil. I show more also love that the plot is utterly believable. Things don't necessarily turn out as you might expect, but it's done so right, and the characters roll with the punches well enough that you absolutely have to go with them. Supporting characters, setting, thematic elements, all good, good, good. Even incidents that in other writers' hands might play as cheap gags felt to me like moments of "yeah, crud like that happens, doesn't it." She just gets it right. I hope my library has more of her books. Hemmings has earned my continued interest. -cg show less

A young man dies in an avalanche and his mother tries to pick up the pieces of her life. But everything’s changed. All those possibilities promised for his future, and hers, are gone. There’s no purpose to a day-job advertising treasures he’ll never enjoy, or making jokes that can never be shared with him. The snow still falls but it’s not thick enough to shovel, and Sarah’s walking on ice.

Author Kaui Hart Hemmings conveys her protagonist’s emptiness with powerful and humorous show more conviction. Even as Sarah tries to separate herself from shopping-channel father, divorcing friend, and super-happy co-worker, she finds she’s gaining insight into their lives. And maybe the shopping channel offers possibilities of its own in the shape of memories.

Enter Kim to clear that fallen snow. Add an upcoming road-trip to mourn the son. Be gentle and smile when boarders pass your car. And be ready for spring.

I wasn’t shocked. I’d guessed. But it doesn’t matter. The characters become so real that guessing’s just part of life, another thing you may or may not suggest to them over coffee. The Possibilities is a surprisingly uplifting novel, taking readers on a journey through grief, like winter, to a place where decisions are complex and the prospects are endless as they were at the beginning, at those first stages of lost son’s life.

Disclosure: I was given an advance uncorrected proof and I offer my honest review. show less

Set in Hawaii, this novel is a nuanced portrait of a family in distress. There’s Matt, the father who long ago checked out on his family. He’s forced to start parenting again when an accident puts his wife Joanie in a coma. He is left to reconnect with his two daughters, the troubled teen Alex, and 10-year-old Scotty who is growing up too fast, as they come to terms with Joanie’s situation.

Along the way he discovers Joanie might have been having an affair and quickly his grief becomes show more twisted with bitterness and confusion. He begins to question the decisions he has made over the past few years. Like most families, they are dysfunctional, yet they truly love each other.

The character of Joni is fascinating because we see her only through memories and her husband and daughter’s points of view. We never hear why she made the decisions she did, which doesn’t take anything away from the story, but it leaves us feeling as frustrated as Matt is.

This was one of the rare cases when I saw the movie first, but I’m still glad I went back and read the book. The movie version is excellent, but the book adds even more depth because we can hear Matt’s internal monologue and struggle as he tries to reconnect with his daughters and come to terms with his relationship with his wife.

BOTTOM LINE: I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Even though the two teenage daughters were annoying at times, it was necessary for the dynamic of the story. It was a great study in grief and love and all the confusing emotions in between.

“That's how you know you love someone, I guess, when you can't experience anything without wishing the other person were there to see it, too.”

“Get used to it. She'll be there for the rest of your life. She'll be there on birthdays, at Christmastime, when you get your period, when you graduate, have sex, when you marry, have children, when you die. She'll be there and she won't be there.” show less

How to Party With an Infant by Kaui Hart Hemmings is a highly recommended humorous, yet moving account of being a parent and a person.

Mele Bart is a single mom living in San Fransisco. After a few failed attempts at meeting other moms, she's managed to find a mother's support group where she fits in with the members. Her group joined the official San Francisco Mommy Club. Now SFMC is having a cookbook competition and Mele is filling out the entry form. Actually, the whole book is Mele show more filling out the form and telling corresponding stories about those in her support group while finding the perfect recipe based on the story shared. Mele is also trying to deal with her daughter Ellie's father, Bobby, and his upcoming wedding. He wants Ellie to be a flower girl.

Mele and her friends are dealing with their feelings of inadequacy and failure, so their stories reflect this fact. In between the story telling, Mele is very candid about her life and experiences, including those she's had with other SFMC groups and her ex. Interspersed in the entry form stories are excerpts from an online message board. Seriously, the mommy wars rage as people express their firm beliefs about one thing or another, while one member is wonderfully funny and satirical.

This is a great selection for anyone who can relate to Mele's search for like-minded moms:
"She smiles to herself, remembering those early days, when she was one of those friendless parents - the ones that smile too eagerly at other moms and apologize if their babies sneeze. The ones who use lame pickup lines like "I like your burp cloth" or "How do you like your Britax Roundabout?" Mele would hit up all the hot spots - Gymboree, Day One, Music Together, playgrounds, parks, and museums - hoping to meet someone. She’d see other mothers in groups, laughing on polka-dot throw mats and think: Where do I find them? And how do I act once I do?"

I found How to Party With an Infant a wonderfully entertaining light read, which I need every now and then. It is very well written and the stories are funny, poignant, touching, and hopeful. If you have ever struggled to find or fit in with a mommy group, you will understand Mele's situation. Or if you've ever experienced a part of the mommy wars, you'll find yourself laughing and commiserating with Mele. The fact that she found a group of such diverse individuals with stories that are sometimes raw and heartbreaking to share is heartening. Mele is very honest in what she writes for the cookbook entry, both in her feelings and observations and her friend's stories.

Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes. show less