Judy Blume was my favorite author as a child. I read every one of her books, sometimes more than once. Sometimes more than twice! When I heard she had written a new book for adults, I pre-ordered it and waited for it to arrive.
Her newest book is called In the Unlikely Event and is about three very tragic plane crashes in Elizabeth, NJ back in the 1950's. It is based on events that happened while Blume, herself, lived in this small town, but it is still mostly fictional.
The book is divided into different parts based on year and time of year and within each part there are sections of the story told about each of the many, many characters that make up this intense story. To be honest, I read half of the book before I could keep many of the characters straight in my head. They all know each other in some way, they all overlap, and at first it is very overwhelming. But, as I grew to realize as I was reading, that's exactly what Blume intended--these characters were meant to overlap and connect. That's what makes the plane crashes and the events surrounding them so tragic.
After the first plane crash, as I read what these brave people had to endure, I couldn't imagine reading about another one. Much less a third crash. Honestly, I put the book down and read another novel. I just could't read on. But I am so glad that I went back to it (as I always do) because I realized that the one of the messages of this book is that life really does go on. It does, whether we want it to or not. The people of Elizabeth, NJ are proof.
The title of the book, "In the Unlikely Event..." which we often hear flight attendants explain as they review safety information pre-flight, was explained even further at the end of the book: "Life is a series of unlikely events, isn't it? ...One unlikely event after another, adding up to a rich, complicated whole." It's so true. Life is a series of unlikely events. And when you put them all together, the good, the bad, and the ugly, you get a pretty decent story in the end. Life isn't easy, as every character in this book will attest to, but in the end, it's life and we have to live it and to make the best of it.
Aside from the basic reminder that each day is a gift, I adored the glimpse into the 50's that this book afforded. I wish that my girls would read this to see what life was like back in the day. When girls wore modest clothing, when boys were respectful, when people had actual conversations and dance parties in order to get to know each other. I think I lived in the wrong time. When girls dreamed of getting cashmere sweaters for Christmas and birthdays and their mothers loaned them pearls for their dates...oh yeah...that's my kind of decade!
Judy Blume does it again!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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