I'll Be Seeing You

Ruby, who prefers to be called Lauren, chafes at a future as a ranch wife in Palo Pinto County, Texas. A visit to her Aunt Imogene in New York further disenchants her with the small-town Texas life. When a modeling agency spies Lauren riding in a parade and recruits her, it seems like a dream come true. She moves to New York and moves in with Imogene to begin her career, her new life.

But things don't go according to plan, and being as she's a teenager, Lauren doesn't always make wise choices. She is forced out of modeling, and begins a slide into years of promiscuity and alcoholism. She moves back and forth between Texas and New York, jumping from one job to another and leaving wrecked relationships in her wake, until she ends up in Austin, Texas. There she finds sobriety and starts her own successful business, but she doesn't find peace. And then her third husband, Brett, comes looking for her.

Lauren was sometimes a difficult character to like, but I think that's because I read the book from the perspective of middle age. I saw Lauren making terrible choices, I saw the train wreck coming, and I wanted to holler, “Don't do it! It won't go well!” But her story is a compelling one. How many of us haven't wanted to buck the system as teenagers? Lauren did just that, and you have to admire that supreme teenage self-confidence, even as you're shaking your head because you just know that's not gonna go well.

I like the way the story crossed some lines with Imogene. Imogene was a free spirit and didn't care about what society thought. In some instances, that was a good thing. She was an aficionado of jazz at a time when racial boundaries kept a lot of people out of the places where it might be played, and Lauren grew to be a lover of jazz as well. Imogen also crossed racial lines with her friendship with her housekeeper Vandine, and Vandine became a friend to Lauren as well. Sometimes it's good when you don't worry so much about what society will think.

The story also does a good job of illustrating the damage that a strained family relationship can do. When she left her home, Lauren burned bridges with her mother. That relationship was never mended, and her actions also negatively impacted her relationships with her brothers.

The book moves back and forth geographically, but it's solidly tied to Texas, and Easley does an excellent job incorporating both Texas institutions like Neiman-Marcus and H-E-B and historical events into the story. I liked that, even though she had been itching to leave as a young girl, Lauren eventually calls Texas home again.

This is a compelling read. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a strong (and headstrong) main character, a Texas connection, and a good redemptive storyline.