So we got home late last night from a movie, and I knew there was no way I could string enough words together to make sense in order to properly review this book. Late night writing, although I do it far too often, is never a good thing if it can be avoided. So here we are. Remember how I mentioned last month that I was shooting for reading three new books a month? One of the perks about occasionally reviewing a book for the kind folks at BlogHer (and the related BlogHer Book Club) is that I am exposed to titles I might have otherwise passed by. Or not even bothered to give a second glance at.
Such is the case with Claire Bidwell Smith’s The Rules of Inheritance. As I told Mystic tonight after we finished at at-home double feature, with one of the movies being fairly dark, “I like happy.” Those are the movies and books I tend to gravitate towards. Peppered with cooking stuffs, business books, non-fiction, biographies, and the like, the core of my selections is generally lighter. And surely much lighter than a book that is steeped in grief.
But I made it through. This memoir centers around Claire and how she deals with her parents being diagnosed with cancer within months of each other, and by her early 20s, they have both succumbed to the disease. The book follows Claire’s life as she immerses herself in many things (school, work, boys, cigarettes, and alcohol), anything and everything to dull the pain of having to deal with her impending grief. The wordsmithing throughout really makes you feel the emotions right along with her … sadness, despair … but then later, hope and promise as she begins to learn that facing her grief is the best way to deal with it. This is not your go-to book when packing your picnic bag or heading to the beach, but if you’re looking to curl up with something different, something that might suck you in and make you think about life a little harder than you want to, check it out.
To read more about The Rules of Inheritance and see what other BlogHer reviewers thought about it, check out the BlogHer Book Club page.
Disclosure: This review is part of the BlogHer Book Club program. I received a copy of the book and am compensated for my participation. However, all opinions are my own.
I have moods when I want to read something more real and then others where I just want a chick flick in novel form and that’s all there is to it. This sounds like a good read when a craving for the former hits!
I tend to gravitate to the same kinds of books as you do… although lately, I am stretching myself by reading things I might not have otherwise. This one sounds interesting, but not one I’d grab for a quick weekend read but more of something to get my thinking.