“It was after Nick had left me that I learned the lesson: its when you don’t love somebody that you do notice the little things. Then you mind them. You mind them terribly.”
This was a book by someone who was trying very hard to be the next Nora Ephron, and fell just short. It’s a cute book. Janzen has some witticisms and insights that made me chuckle. But Nora Ephron she is not.
Rhoda Janzen returns home to her Mennonite parents after her husband leaves her for a man he met on Gay.com. She repeats that line about five times. Her parents greet her with open arms, and she recovers while basked in their love.
There’s several things going on her. One, we meet the Mennonites. I will admit knowing nothing about Mennonites going into this book. After it, I don’t know much more, other than that I think Dwight on The Office may have been one. Janzen has a chapter at the end of the book that explains some Mennonite things, but until then, it’s mostly “we don’t dance and we wear ugly clothes”.
Two, Janzen’s ex was a piece of work. He suffered from manic depression and psychologically fucked with her and all sorts of nasty things. She was basically in an abusive relationship for years, and you can tell by her stories about him that she hasn’t fully come to terms with it. She writes about his magnetic personality and good looks and the whole time I kept thing, “my god please don’t tell me she’s going to try to get him back”.
Three, Janzen’s mother, a nurse who discusses abscessed wounds at the dinner table and chooses to show off her 70 year old legs while gardening in shorts was a much more interesting person and should write her own damn book.
Overall, this was kind of a disappointing read, but it didn’t take long and it was a loaner from my sister so at least it was free. I’m sure I’ll have forgotten all about it in six months. Don’t bother.
