Another Cannonball Read Rainbow Rowell Success Story!
This is my first Rainbow Rowell novel, and I would not have found her so quickly were she not a huge CBR favorite. And I get it, but also I don’t? She is undeniably a damn delight. But more to point about this specific book, the part of me that’s still mad that “Bridget Jones’ Baby” ended with a fucking wedding is really bummed out that Lincoln (our hero) ends his Attachments journey to emotional health and adult sustainability by finding love.
Maybe I’m projecting too much, but I honestly, truly, want more stories about people who want something else, or at least don’t buy into the narrative that we’re incomplete or failures if our lives don’t include romantic love. There is so much to life besides getting partnered up, and I cling to the rare stories about people who find fulfillment in other ways.
Now, you might argue that this is about that. And I would mostly agree with you, which is why I was so blue about the ending. This story about a young man who loses his first love (toxic and codependent, but all-consuming, and such a loss for him), and is fighting to find meaning and joy in life is a lovely read. Lincoln is interesting and smart, kind, and trying to grow. It’s 1999, and he finds himself a job in IT at a local newspaper, monitoring the internal emails between employees for evidence of mis-use of company resources and time, and policing any abuse he discovers. He finds himself to drawn “on paper” to a friendship between Beth and Jennifer, who have troubles of their own, so different from his. He can’t stop reading their emails, because although he doesn’t know either of the two women, he is drawn to them. And as he reads, he heals from his emotional trauma, growing stronger and really coming into his own.
Those are ethically murky waters, which Rowell certainly speaks to. The whole thing isn’t particularly deep, though. More sparkling wine than whiskey, if you will, even though the story could go well-aged-single-malt-Scotch in the hands of another writer.
I will read more Rowell books after this. There certainly is some brain-catchy poignancy to her writing, which made it a treat to read, even if the ending did disappoint.