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A review by libraryforspooky
Everything Must Go by Camille Pagán
3.0
Firstly, thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm giving this book a solid three stars, with my points below on why. When I read what the book was about and the way the title is represented, I thought this novel would reflect a woman who's marriage is in the air while having to deal with her sick elderly mother. I thought the title meant more in terms that since the marriage was over, she would start completely over. That's not what happened at all.
Laine is a professional organizer from New York but currently resides in a small town in Michigan. Within the first chapter, you learn her beloved pet whom she's had for 15 years passed away, she wants a baby so somebody needs her and she asked her husband for a divorce. As the story unfolds, we learn Laine has two sisters and a mother they suspect to have dementia.
Laine packs a suitcase and heads to New York to be with her family and to really think about whether she wants a divorce. Throughout the story, we experience the story from two point of views. One from Laine and one from Sally, her mother. In the chapters that Sally narrates, they are pretty lucid and easy to follow. Oh, by the way, Laine runs into her ex best friend who she's in love with while in New York (Ben, that's important for later).
Throughout the book, I felt that dealing with a family member with dementia was pretty accurate. I can also understand the struggle of wanting to be a mother while your husband doesn't. However, I found the book a bit boring. It seemed like it ran in constant circles of Laine saying yes to all the things she wants to say no. Laine doesn't want to live in New York. I don't know how many times I read that, yet she still contemplated it. I know that the character building was intended to build Laine into having more of a backbone when it's doing what she wants rather than what her family wants. It just fell flat for me though, it seemed like once she finally had Ben whispering into her ear, she grew her backbone.
Which leads me to my next point. I think this story would have been a lot better if Ben wasn't involved at all. If Laine had the chance to explore what motherhood meant to her while being a single woman, while trying to figure out the best route for her mom and growing the courage she needed all by herself. Ben didn't add a lot other than past time of a 16 year old grudge, settling for a man who she loves but I'm not sure she was ever in love with and a happy ending. I mean, if you hold a grudge for that long - are you really able to fall into the arms of the same man within a few days after deciding with your husband that the divorce will be done? It just doesn't make sense to me and the more I think about it, the less sense it makes to me with the timeline in the book.
I did enjoy this book, I think it explored raw emotions when having to become a caretaker. I wouldn't read it again though.
I'm giving this book a solid three stars, with my points below on why. When I read what the book was about and the way the title is represented, I thought this novel would reflect a woman who's marriage is in the air while having to deal with her sick elderly mother. I thought the title meant more in terms that since the marriage was over, she would start completely over. That's not what happened at all.
Laine is a professional organizer from New York but currently resides in a small town in Michigan. Within the first chapter, you learn her beloved pet whom she's had for 15 years passed away, she wants a baby so somebody needs her and she asked her husband for a divorce. As the story unfolds, we learn Laine has two sisters and a mother they suspect to have dementia.
Laine packs a suitcase and heads to New York to be with her family and to really think about whether she wants a divorce. Throughout the story, we experience the story from two point of views. One from Laine and one from Sally, her mother. In the chapters that Sally narrates, they are pretty lucid and easy to follow. Oh, by the way, Laine runs into her ex best friend who she's in love with while in New York (Ben, that's important for later).
Throughout the book, I felt that dealing with a family member with dementia was pretty accurate. I can also understand the struggle of wanting to be a mother while your husband doesn't. However, I found the book a bit boring. It seemed like it ran in constant circles of Laine saying yes to all the things she wants to say no. Laine doesn't want to live in New York. I don't know how many times I read that, yet she still contemplated it. I know that the character building was intended to build Laine into having more of a backbone when it's doing what she wants rather than what her family wants. It just fell flat for me though, it seemed like once she finally had Ben whispering into her ear, she grew her backbone.
Which leads me to my next point. I think this story would have been a lot better if Ben wasn't involved at all. If Laine had the chance to explore what motherhood meant to her while being a single woman, while trying to figure out the best route for her mom and growing the courage she needed all by herself. Ben didn't add a lot other than past time of a 16 year old grudge, settling for a man who she loves but I'm not sure she was ever in love with and a happy ending. I mean, if you hold a grudge for that long - are you really able to fall into the arms of the same man within a few days after deciding with your husband that the divorce will be done? It just doesn't make sense to me and the more I think about it, the less sense it makes to me with the timeline in the book.
I did enjoy this book, I think it explored raw emotions when having to become a caretaker. I wouldn't read it again though.