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A review by thenovelstitch
How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was initially drawn to How to Sleep at Night by Elizabeth Harris because of the premise: Gabe, a lifelong democrat, finds out his husband Ethan wants to run for congress as a Republican. In our current world this felt like a premise that was not only timely but tangible. I continued reading the book, however, because of the wonderful way Harris injects silliness, wit, humanness and imperfection into her characters. No one in this story is perfect, and there are no perfection answers or options. I loved that about this book.
While Gabe and his husband Ethan are figuring out this new dimension that's landed smack dab into the middle of their relationship, Ethan's sister Kate is struggling to understand the greater meaning of her life. Sure she's got a great job as a political reporter and she has a great apartment in NYC, but she still feels like something is missing. One day, and old flame sends her an instagram DM and suddenly Kate's life feels like it might mean something again -- only problem? Her old flame, Nicole, is married (to a man, with kids).
I've read that many reviews thought the book was "pointless" or "didn't go anywhere" and I disagree. I think How to Sleep at Night was not to carry us to an ending that "made sense" or cleanly wrapped up the book because that isn't how life happens. This book felt like getting a backstage glance into a chunk of time in someone's life. It felt like being a fly on a wall for a brief moment, of course there is going to be no neatly tied up ending.
All of the characters grapple with big themes in this book -- morality, justice, identity, loyalty, and integrity (to name a few) and while these theme are meaty and serious, Harris manages to write them in a way that is witty, smart and nuanced. There were so many moments in which I was offered a new way of thinking about a situation or a glimpse into the other side of someone's behavior and I appreciated that. I feel like that is especially hard to do given the main topics: politics and infidelity.
The best way I can describe this book and my reading experiences is this: have you ever seen someone start posting cryptic stuff on their facebook or instagram and just wish you could get the behind the scenes look at what is actually happening? This book feels like getting that glimpse into someone's personal facebook drama. I loved every second of it.
While Gabe and his husband Ethan are figuring out this new dimension that's landed smack dab into the middle of their relationship, Ethan's sister Kate is struggling to understand the greater meaning of her life. Sure she's got a great job as a political reporter and she has a great apartment in NYC, but she still feels like something is missing. One day, and old flame sends her an instagram DM and suddenly Kate's life feels like it might mean something again -- only problem? Her old flame, Nicole, is married (to a man, with kids).
I've read that many reviews thought the book was "pointless" or "didn't go anywhere" and I disagree. I think How to Sleep at Night was not to carry us to an ending that "made sense" or cleanly wrapped up the book because that isn't how life happens. This book felt like getting a backstage glance into a chunk of time in someone's life. It felt like being a fly on a wall for a brief moment, of course there is going to be no neatly tied up ending.
All of the characters grapple with big themes in this book -- morality, justice, identity, loyalty, and integrity (to name a few) and while these theme are meaty and serious, Harris manages to write them in a way that is witty, smart and nuanced. There were so many moments in which I was offered a new way of thinking about a situation or a glimpse into the other side of someone's behavior and I appreciated that. I feel like that is especially hard to do given the main topics: politics and infidelity.
The best way I can describe this book and my reading experiences is this: have you ever seen someone start posting cryptic stuff on their facebook or instagram and just wish you could get the behind the scenes look at what is actually happening? This book feels like getting that glimpse into someone's personal facebook drama. I loved every second of it.