Maine

Maine
By J. Courtney Sullivan (509 pages)
Published by Vintage
Contemporary fiction
Bookish rating: 4.5

Maine is a slow-developing (in the best sense), unhurried tale of four flawed, strong-willed women of the Kelleher family: Maggie, who's knocked up with her a-hole boyfriends spawn; Anne-Marie, a Kelleher by marriage who wants desperately to be just perfect family-wise and thus projects this anxiety onto a dollhouse obsession; Kathleen, who detests everything her family stands for and thus is (of course) living in California on a worm farm in a hippie-esque existence; and Alice, the alcoholic matriarch of it all, with a past that would drive anyone to drink.

The story (stories?) are absorbing and enjoyable--I loved reading this book. The characters are fantastically and fully developed, warts and all, and Sullivan's ability to show how perspective is everything just shines as these women interact and judge each other.

Unlike other reviewers, I didn't get a strong sense of place with Maine. Perhaps this was due to so much being told in flashbacks (and thus not in Maine) or something. It just didn't seem coastal. I had no desire to put on a plastic bib and eat lobster like I expected. So, a half point docked there.

Ultimately, though, no matter. Maine is a thoughtful, entertaining read that shows how freaking complicated families are. Highly recommended.