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A review by mirandadarrow
Leave Me by Gayle Forman
2.0
I heard something very disturbing after I’d already started listening to Leave Me on audiobook. I’d heard that Oprah’s book club had selected this book to discuss. Oh no! I actively avoid Oprah’s picks, as the unnecessary cruelty to the protagonists seems to be a requirement. I wasn’t surprised by this announcement, though, as I already knew I was clearly in “chick lit” territory. I was drawn to the premise though, given my role as working mom, primary breadwinner, and disappointment to many on a daily basis.
How would I feel about a working mom who decided to chuck it all and disappear after her family is thoroughly unsupportive in the wake of her heart attack and bypass surgery at age 44? Would I applaud her brave choice to take control of her own life? Would I condemn her choice to walk away from her children? There was no chance of sympathy for an insensitive boob of a husband who wanted everything to be “normal” (for him) the day she is discharged from the hospital. I had mixed emotions about Maribeth. Which is off for me, as I usually form a pretty strong opinion about characters who make controversial choices.
Warning, this paragraph is a little spoilery, but I can’t talk about my feelings about Maribeth without talking about her choices. I actually liked Maribeth, and didn’t disagree with her choice to leave. But I thought she was rather too short-sighted with many of her decisions, giving her less options for the “rest of her life”. So, from that aspect, I didn’t have a ton of respect for Maribeth’s choice to leave as she had never given herself the option of making it work in the long run. In my opinion, whether consciously or not, she was always planning to return to her husband and kids as she had never given herself an alternative. So in that way, it seemed more like an immature tantrum (which was successful, apparently) rather than a conscious choice to return on her own terms.
I liked the other characters from her life in Pittsburgh more than anything we encountered in New York. The neighbors, the doctor, the lady from the birth parents’ website - I liked all of them better than anyone we’d encountered in New York. I’m actually sad we didn’t get to find out anything more about them. I don’t actually care what happens in New York. Her relationship with her mother also seemed like a complete missed opportunity. Why is her mom such a pain? Who knows, and at this point, or even cares?
This book was thought provoking, but ultimately unsatisfying, as the ending seemed contrived and slapped together. It was like the author reached a page limit and then just pulled the plug on any number of potential budding storylines just to force this ending. I haven’t read anything else by this author before, and I’m not sure if I’m going to seek any out. Truly, mixed feelings on this one.
How would I feel about a working mom who decided to chuck it all and disappear after her family is thoroughly unsupportive in the wake of her heart attack and bypass surgery at age 44? Would I applaud her brave choice to take control of her own life? Would I condemn her choice to walk away from her children? There was no chance of sympathy for an insensitive boob of a husband who wanted everything to be “normal” (for him) the day she is discharged from the hospital. I had mixed emotions about Maribeth. Which is off for me, as I usually form a pretty strong opinion about characters who make controversial choices.
Warning, this paragraph is a little spoilery, but I can’t talk about my feelings about Maribeth without talking about her choices. I actually liked Maribeth, and didn’t disagree with her choice to leave. But I thought she was rather too short-sighted with many of her decisions, giving her less options for the “rest of her life”. So, from that aspect, I didn’t have a ton of respect for Maribeth’s choice to leave as she had never given herself the option of making it work in the long run. In my opinion, whether consciously or not, she was always planning to return to her husband and kids as she had never given herself an alternative. So in that way, it seemed more like an immature tantrum (which was successful, apparently) rather than a conscious choice to return on her own terms.
I liked the other characters from her life in Pittsburgh more than anything we encountered in New York. The neighbors, the doctor, the lady from the birth parents’ website - I liked all of them better than anyone we’d encountered in New York. I’m actually sad we didn’t get to find out anything more about them. I don’t actually care what happens in New York. Her relationship with her mother also seemed like a complete missed opportunity. Why is her mom such a pain? Who knows, and at this point, or even cares?
This book was thought provoking, but ultimately unsatisfying, as the ending seemed contrived and slapped together. It was like the author reached a page limit and then just pulled the plug on any number of potential budding storylines just to force this ending. I haven’t read anything else by this author before, and I’m not sure if I’m going to seek any out. Truly, mixed feelings on this one.