The Smart One

Author:

Jennifer Close is a best-selling author with several successful books including this title, The Hopefuls, and Girls in White Dresses. She attended Boston College to study fiction writing. This midwest girl, raised north of Chicago, has defected to the east coast and currently lives in Washington D.C.

Learn More about Jennifer Close

Three words to describe this read:

Relatable- Between the four narrators (all female, it feels worth mentioning), I'm sure that most readers will feel at least once that they completely understand what that narrator is feeling, for which Close seems to have a talent.

Realistic- The characters in this book were very detailed, detailed enough that I had favorites and least favorites. There were a few moments when I was thoroughly annoyed with a character, but in each case, they came back with redeeming qualities.

Perceptive- While I haven't experienced it for myself, I imagine that Close very accurately captures the complexities of moving home as an adult, especially if it just happens to be at the same time as your two other siblings. It's definitely not an unheard-of concept, but it's funny to consider how different the experience would be for anyone that has done it. The specific insights of the effects it had on the Coffey family is what made this book so interesting.

Quote:

"Child, listen. You're on a journey. You didn't like the way life was going, so you're rewriting your own story. That's what you have to do. You don't see it now, but this is the most important part of your life. If you don't like the story that's being told about your own life, you've got to change it. You've got to tell a different story."

I loved this quote and chose it as my favorite because it’s so true. Often people think that it’s too late for them to change something about their life, like their job or where they live, and it’s hard to remember that it’s never too late. Change is scary, often even terrifying, but when we aren’t happy it’s necessary. The only people that can make us happy and change our life for the better is ourselves and that’s something to practice. Who else but you will give you what you want?