Unexpected Surprise

A book recommendation from a friend, Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman is fantastic! I simply could not put it down. It’s another local read taking place in Boston and Providence. (I swear, I am not seeking these out on purpose!) April Epner is a high school latin teacher with a pretty ho-hum life until her birth mother contacts her.  From this point on, her life is turned a bit upside down in both positive and negative ways. Birth mom turns out to be a zany local celebrity who isn’t exactly honest about April’s past. She desperately tries to latch on to the main character while almost simultaneously pushing her away. I found this relationship to be believable and it added to my rampant page-turning. However, what I liked best were other aspects of the novel, which I found to be clever and more unexpected. For example, the storyline adds some seriousness outlining April’s adoptive parents who were concentration camp survivors.  But, my favorite was the novel’s unlikely love interest, a dorky librarian who, in my opinion, steals the show.  I could really relate to this book because of the setting, the realistic scenes that took place in school and the way that they characters interacted with each other. Additionally, I was excited to find out that it was adapted into a movie starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.  This will be put on our blockbuster queue. Even if it turns out to be a flop, I will still appreciate it!

-Kelly