Fly Away Home was a very good book, but it has put me into a depressing funk that I can not shake.
The book revolves around three women: Sylvie (the mom), Diana (the doctor and oldest daughter), and Lizzie (the younger daughter and recovering addict). Weiner focuses on one woman per chapter--I like authors who do that. It keeps me focused and interested.
The basic idea of the book, women who reconsider their lives after a major crisis, has forced me to do the same and I am not all that sure how different I am from these three women. Well--two of them--I am not a recovering addict. Sylvie spent her entire life running the life of her husband. Now, I know that I do not run Rob's life. Far from it, in fact. But, I remember specifically thinking long ago that my life as a teacher would make his life easier. I could be with the kids during vacations and breaks, I could be home with them in the afternoons, etc. I have spent 17 years trying to make his life easier just to make mine more complicated. (I would like to try to be more like Sylvie in that she lives her days maintaining her size 6 waistline. I think the last time I was in a size 6 was college. Sad, but true.) When Sylvie is faced with a life changing decision, she also has to decide what to do with her life. She does reinvent herself and blossoms while she's doing it. This begs the question--have I dug my own grave by catering to my husband? It's all too much to think about.
Then there's Diana...she's a doctor, she's successful, she's a mother and a wife. She handpicked her husband so that she would have a stable life with a good man who loves her. She didn't want any surprises so she chose her husband accordingly. As a result, she is now bored with her marriage. I also remember thinking that Rob would be a great husband, and he is. He's a great provider, he loves his children, and I am fairly certain that he loves me, too. I "picked" him for all of those reasons. Does that mean that one day the boredom will set in? Then what? Do I need to work harder now so that doesn't happen? I don't think I can fit one more thing into my day as it is. All of this is just a lot of pressure.
Thank goodness for Lizzie who is just so busy trying to make it from day to day that she has no plan. But, she makes those of us who are planners seem like crazy neurotic women who end up alone. Which is EXACTLY what I have been stressing over since I read this book. In fact, today, eating lunch alone at the mall reading book #41, I realized that being alone is what will take me from this world (unless something else happens first). Being alone is NOT for me. I will be the wife who dies of a broken heart should Rob go before me. I will not be able to function.
Have I made you just want to run and out and buy Fly Away Home? I finished this book two days ago and have not been able to pick up a book since. I wanted a fun, light-hearted book to follow this one and should have just found another cowboy book. Nope. Instead, I downloaded Sisterhood Everlasting (the last Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book) because I love the characters and they make me smile and I just knew that it would be a nice change of pace. Was I ever wrong. #41 has made me more sad and depressed than #40.
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