Recalculating

(Review originally appeared at Red Adept Reviews)

Overall: 3 ?? stars

Plot/Storyline: 3 ?? stars

I'm very ambivalent about this one. I enjoyed aspects of it, perhaps even most of it, but a few moments felt false. If someone asked be about it I'd say, “yeah, it wasn't bad, you might like it.” I just find myself without enthusiasm this time around.

Maureen is a woman who secretly lived with spousal abuse for years and now finds herself a widow. While getting down the Halloween ornaments from the attic, she finds a package left for her by her husband. A Ouija GPS. Yes, really. Her husband still thinks he can tell her where to get off.

I felt compassion for her during the moments recounting her abusive marriage. Those moments felt real, right down to how he manipulated her and isolated her from others, and how she learned to accept it as her lot in life. I just don't think the horror element, at least the execution of it, quite meshed. I get why it's there thematically, but I felt that the author didn't quite know how to execute it. There was an issue that was wrapped up vaguely and in a couple sentences, because I think Ms. Weiner knew the point couldn't stand up to any real scrutiny. It felt like she didn't know what to do with it and hoped no one noticed; in truth, the whole horror element felt that way. I don't know and can't know if this was the case, but this is how it felt.

I did find it to be a little bit scary, and I think that's largely due to the built up empathy for the main character, and wanted her to have a better life. I didn't know where the story was going and had a twinge of anxiety at the slight chance that it wouldn't end well. Plus, most GPS systems are very Uncanny Valley - the point at which tech stuff like computers and robots become so human that, instead of being endearing, it's just creepy.

Characters: 3 ?? stars

I obviously cared about Maureen, and I found her believable in many ways, but I can't say any of the characterization blew me away, and I'm someone who is a fan of this writer's characters, like the sisters in In Her Shoes, and Cannie in Good in Bed.

What I do appreciate here, and in her previous efforts, is her respect for characters and heroines over the age of forty.

Writing Style: 3 ?? stars

I know Jennifer Weiner can write, but I just don't think all the elements were written cohesively. While there were moments when the language was lovely and evocative, so much of the time I was just a bit underwhelmed.