Jane McCafferty
Fiction
Wow. This book is…wow. Not at all what I was expecting. Actually, I didn’t even read the whole inside flap when I picked it up, just the first few sentences. I saw that it was about a married couple drifting apart, and slipped it in my bag. Little did I know what a rollercoaster ride I would be getting on.
First You Try Everything is about a couple named Evvie and Ben. They’ve been married for awhile, no children, one dog, and they’re happy. Or so Evvie thinks. Ben is not so happy. He wants out of the marriage. He informs Evvie of this and they separate. And that’s when things start to get crazy. In more ways than one.
I’ll just get my minor nitpick out of the way first: too many long paragraphs. I hate long paragraphs and must resist the urge to skin when I see them. I tried not to with this book because Ms. McCafferty is an awesome writer. The tone of the book is so serious that the few comedic passages are really funny. Probably because I just wasn’t expecting them. The characters are all real and sympathetic. I don’t think I disliked anyone in this book (can’t remember the last time that happened with a novel). And I could never see what was coming. Sometimes I like that in a book and sometimes I don’t. This time, I did. The ending satisfied me as well. Not too depressing, but happy—or satisfying, I guess I should say—enough that it made sense for Evvie and Ben to end up like they did.
First You Try Everything is a great book about marriage, relationships, and the human psyche. Anyone who enjoys being delighted by clever writing, witty dialogue, and insightful characters should read it.
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