Staff Pick
I flat-out loved this book! Don't compare it to Where'd You Go, Bernadette? — it is its own bizarre, charming, muddled thing. If you've ever suffered from "Overwhelmed Mother Syndrome"; if you've ever had a screaming fight on the sidewalk with a relative; if you've ever mourned a parent; if you've ever nonchalantly questioned your ability to parent; if you've ever been the child of an alcoholic; if you've ever despised an in-law; if you've ever worried about the state of your marriage; if you've ever been betrayed by someone you love; if you've ever wondered, Why is my life like this?: this is your book. Semple just gets it — she knows how you feel — she's lived it, or at least, her character Eleanor has. This is a brilliant commentary on our unsatisfying and complicated modern lives, with a ton of razor sharp wit thrown in. Take this trip with Eleanor; she knows you — she is you. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
We need a term for a certain kind of book; let's call it a "Semple." It describes a caper, at the center of which is a woman — flighty, charming, a mix of unrecognized genius and undiagnosed anxiety disorder. She has a husband — steady, generous, at his wit's end. The backstory is bizarre and awesome. The plot widens as it thickens, and you read it in a day because you just can't stop. It's just so good. Recommended By Britt A., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A brilliant novel from the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, forced to abandon her small ambitions and awake to a strange, new future.
Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action-life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office-but not Eleanor-that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.
Today Will Be Different is a hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention, sisterhood, and how sometimes it takes facing up to our former selves to truly begin living.
Review
"With a strong narrative voice, fast pace and her signature wit, Semple cleverly spins another raucously funny story wound around deeper implications about the unexpected ways life teaches us to find meaning." Shelf Awareness
Review
"An introspective look, both comedic and tragic, at attempting to be the best one can be." Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal
Review
"Today Will Be Different is so unique, so smart, so funny, so beautifully humane, so utterly of our times, it’s astonishing. I’ve scribbled exclamation points and underlined passages on almost every single page so I can go back and savor. I’ve started quoting it as if it’s already a classic–which, no doubt, it will be." Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl and Dark Places
Review
"Few will be indifferent to this achingly funny and very dear book. This author is on her way to becoming a national treasure." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"I had the uncanny feeling, while reading Today Will Be Different, that Maria Semple had somehow snuck into my house when I was asleep, took an x-ray image of my heart, then painted it by hand in neon colors. This book is searingly honest and hilarious and dark and neurotic. It is dizzying. Best of all, it is delicious." Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies
About the Author
Maria Semple is the author of This One Is Mine and Where'd You Go, Bernadette, which has been translated into eighteen languages. She lives in Seattle.