Before I go into my book review mode, I have a few random things to report. First, my big excitement is that I signed up for my first-ever 5K today. A couple of my friends have been encouraging me (or, um, nagging me) to commit to one, and so I did. I feel like it’s a bit soon, since I had to take a break there for a while, but I have promised not to berate myself if I have to walk or if I finish dead last, and I’m planning to do another one in October so I can see how much better I’ve gotten by then. Still, I’m nervous about it, and I had absolutely better get a run in tonight after work if I’m going to manage this. Second, I’m actually getting into the Olympics this year. Did anyone else see how bored W looked during the opening ceremonies? Hilarious. And, lastly, I am frantically knitting in an attempt to get all overdue baby blankets done.
But enough of all that. I finished a book yesterday that I absolutely loved and I think you all should read it and love it, too. It’s even made my list of favorites! The book is The Condition, by Jennifer Haigh. The book involves a young girl (and her family) who is diagnosed with a condition called Turner’s Syndrome, which prevents her body from ever maturing into or beyond puberty. When I started reading this, I did so with the notion that girl with Turner’s was the center of the book, and that the rest of the story focused on how her family dealt with (or failed to deal with) her condition.
In some ways, I was right. In actuality, though, the book is not really about the condition of Turner’s Syndrome so much as it is about a condition that afflicts us all: the human condition. Some of the characters’ flaws and/or mistaken actions made me wince with discomfort, and their sense of regret went against my basic philosophy of life (which is pretty similar to Mike Damone’s advice in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, if you take out the “act like” part: “..Wherever you are, that’s the place to be. Isn’t this great?”). At the same time, though, these same flaws/mistaken actions/regrets were almost comforting in a weird way.
Haigh gives each character such depth that I truly felt like I knew them all by the time I finished reading, and although the book was laced with melancholy, it left me feeling warm and wishing there was more of it to read. I suppose I’ll have to settle for reading her previous books instead.
Yay for the 5K! You are going to be awesome, and it is good to start now so that you can see how much better you get.
Woohoo! 5K, here we come!
I haven’t watched a bit of the Olympics. I have, however, been trying to fit in some not for school reading. This books sounds interesting and different from the historical fiction I usually ingest. I’m going to give it a try — I may just borrow it from you.
This book sounds like it’s right up my alley. Guess I’ll be adding yet another book to the ever growing to-read list!
A main character who is even smaller then Cornelia Brown? I better skip it
Congrats on the commitment to the 5K, you will do great!
You’re doing a real, honest-to-goodness, formally organized 5K?? You are my hero, Lara. Good luck!