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A review by carolpk
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks
4.0
My sincere thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-galley to be published September 8, 2015.
Matthew Dicks has a way with picking interesting subjects and presenting them in unusual ways so I was hoping for the usual off the grid read. The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs didn’t disappoint. Dicks takes us back to all the horrors of high school, especially if you were on the outside looking in.
Caroline, a quiet, meek soul blows up with a capital F at a PTO meeting. When her daughter, Polly comes to her defense by physically assaulting the PTO President’s daughter, suspension is threatened. Caroline breaks her daughter out of the principal’s office and with only the clothes on their backs sets off on a road trip back home to face the woman, once her best friend, who dumped her without a backward glance. What ensues is heartfelt, often funny and thought provoking, allowing Caroline a creative, if late, comeback and a stronger relationship with her daughter.
Matthew Dicks day job as a teacher brings credibility to scenes of school politics and student life. Assuming he was also once a student, that experience clearly helped shape his novel.
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs (a perfect title) is a trip back in time that may dig up buried memories but may also offer a means to finally face them.
Matthew Dicks has a way with picking interesting subjects and presenting them in unusual ways so I was hoping for the usual off the grid read. The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs didn’t disappoint. Dicks takes us back to all the horrors of high school, especially if you were on the outside looking in.
Caroline, a quiet, meek soul blows up with a capital F at a PTO meeting. When her daughter, Polly comes to her defense by physically assaulting the PTO President’s daughter, suspension is threatened. Caroline breaks her daughter out of the principal’s office and with only the clothes on their backs sets off on a road trip back home to face the woman, once her best friend, who dumped her without a backward glance. What ensues is heartfelt, often funny and thought provoking, allowing Caroline a creative, if late, comeback and a stronger relationship with her daughter.
Matthew Dicks day job as a teacher brings credibility to scenes of school politics and student life. Assuming he was also once a student, that experience clearly helped shape his novel.
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs (a perfect title) is a trip back in time that may dig up buried memories but may also offer a means to finally face them.