Life and Other Inconveniences

(TW: parental suicide, depression, loss of a child)Wow, color me impressed. Kristan Higgins has written a very intelligent, thoughtful Women's Fiction novel with almost no trace of her usual man-crazy, baby-obsessed women (one of the heroine's BFFs fits that bill but she's a very minor character). Instead we're treated to a complex cast of characters with tangled family dynamics. There's plenty to ponder about the choices we make as parents, the ways we deal with tragedy and the ability to put the past behind us. Emma is a strong heroine, a single mother who has raised Riley, a smart, self-sufficient 16 year old daughter who still miraculously displays affection to her. Emma doesn't change throughout the novel as much as she opens herself up to new experiences once she confronts Genevieve, the grandmother who cast her out when she became a pregnant, unwed teen. Genevieve is a much tougher character, and I admire Higgins for not making her anything less than flawed. She's done a lot of good for her community and for her other granddaughter who is institutionalized with significant disabilities, but she was a terrible mother to her son and her past cruelty to Emma is hard to forgive. I also give Higgins credit for creating a love interest for Emma with his own issues. Miller is a widower and a single dad to Tess, a very challenging 3 year old girl. He has some very negative, honest feelings about her but despite them he is trying to be a good father. Although Emma and Riley both turn out to be skilled at handling Tess, there's no magical solution and she doesn't suddenly turn into an angel. Of course there are dogs (because Higgins) and a bit of humor (not as much as in previous novels), and the ending is hopeful without being unrealistically sunny. Life and Other Inconveniences reminded me of books by some of my favorite Women's Fiction authors, including [a:Emilie Richards 79044 Emilie Richards https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232233544p2/79044.jpg] and [a:Barbara O'Neal 941508 Barbara O'Neal https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1268279525p2/941508.jpg]. Coming from me that's high praise indeed.