Where'd You Go, Bernadette

I was looking at a list of authors coming to an independent book store in Milwaukee when I saw the cover for Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It definitely caught my eye and I read the blurb which put the novel at the top of my books to read list.

The novel's premise is an interesting one. A precocious young girl (Bee) does well in school and is rewarded with anything that she wants and she chooses a family trip to Antarctica. Her mother (Bernadette) goes missing the eve of the trip and Bee compiles letters, emails, and more to create a portrait of her mother and to piece together the tale of her disappearance.

I enjoyed the book as soon as I began reading. I love all of Semple's characters in the novel and they have such rich voices that pull the reader in. Yet the book gets better and better and eventually I was sucked into the story in that way that makes one abandon everything that should be done to find out what will happen next. It's funny with an element of mystery, smart and literary while still being very readable. It's an addictive read, one that I recommend. The only bad part of the book is that it's one of those books that makes it difficult to get into another book when it's over as everything else seems flat.