Jane meets Duncan soon after she moves to Boyne City, Michigan, and quickly falls for his charm. But, as she soon learns, she is not the first person to do this and she finds herself surrounded by Duncan’s former girlfriends and ex-wife, Aggie, who is still a big part of his life. Jane has to decide if Duncan, and all his history, is worth pursuing.
Oh, the joy of a shared life! The joy is not – as many people would believe – building a future with someone, or opening your heart to another human being, or even the ability to gift each other money with limited tax consequences. The joy is in the dailiness. The joy is having someone who will stop you from hitting the snooze button on the alarm endlessly. The joy is the smell of someone else’s cooking… the joy is hoping (however unrealistically) that someone else will unload the dishwasher. The joy is having someone listen to the weird cough your car has developed and reassure you that it doesn’t sound expensive. The joy is saying how much you want a glass of wine and having someone tell you, “Go ahead, you deserve it!” (Although it’s possible to achieve the last one with a pet and a little imagination.)
Early Morning Riser
I found this book incredibly warm and funny. Jane can be both witheringly scathing in her appraisals of people (one person is described as having “perky cupcake energy”) but she also radiates warmth and love.
All of the characters have their own quirks – Frieda, the music teacher who brings her mandolin with her everywhere; Aggie and her husband Gary who are very set in their ways with what they approve and disapprove of (Gary doesn’t eat: “eggplant, hummus, pine nuts, peppercorns, artichokes, bowtie pasta, American cheese, capers, paprika, anchovies, anything labelled ‘artisanal’, and every single member of the parsley family, including carrots.”) Then there is also Jimmy who is described to Jane by other people in town as “slow learning” but who can be sweetly perceptive when it comes to understanding people.
It is about life in a small town where so many people know each other’s business and tragedy can feel as though it touches everyone. Katherine Heiny so brilliantly captures normal everyday things with such humour that it brings a whole new perspective to them, such as, going to buy ice cream, doing the school run, going to dinner parties, and watching the sunrise.
They were just in time. The sky was striped with every flavour of sherbet – raspberry, orange, peach, lemon – and every stripe was reflected in the lake. The sun peeked over the horizon slowly, slowly, growing to a shimmering gold oval that trembled for a moment, heavy, gravid – like a giant egg yolk that would fall forward and fry itself on the silver pan of Lake Charlevoix. And then it rose higher, a perfect yellow circle.
Early Morning Riser
It’s an easy book to sit down and get lost in. I love books that transport me away, and this did just that. And it made me laugh, a lot.
Luggage & Scribble 