Book Nineteen: While I Was Gone

While I Was Gone, Sue Miller



This is one of those books that leaves you with a weird, unsettled feeling inside. I think part of that is due to the calm, lovely little world that Sue Miller sets up at the beginning. The normal, everyday life of our protagonist is almost peaceful. And so, because I knew that something was supposed to happen in this book, I had this little knot in my stomach whenever I picked it up--like something bad is about to happen now. My imagination was a bit worse than the reality of the story, and yet I still feel a little ooky inside.

I quite enjoyed the book and its characters and events. I liked Jo, I liked her family and her husband and the group of friends from her past. And I also quite like Sue Miller's writing. It's beautiful and description without being florid, and knowing without being obnoxious.