Happy Any Day Now

Judith Raphael isn't having one mid-life crisis: she's having several simultaneously in Toby Devens' new novel Happy Any Day Now (#330).  She's survived a brain aneurysm, she has a job she loves, a handsome lover, and a strong relationship with her Korean mother.  So why is it that everything seems to be changing as she approaches her fiftieth birthday?

It's not all bad, by any means.  Her first love has just resurfaced in her life, ready to rekindle that old flame.  Judith always thought that's what she wanted, but is it really?  There will be consequences to her emotional life either way.  What about the chance to advance her career as a cellist with the Maryland Philharmonic Orchestra?  Can she let go of the paralyzing stage fright that suddenly afflicts her?  And the father who abandoned them when she was only six has suddenly appeared in Baltimore.  Judith wants no part of him, but it's hard when her mother is blossoming in front of her eyes.  With the help of friends and family, Judith will eventually arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

It's nice to know that these kinds of problems aren't confined to the dewy-skinned teens and twenties out there.  Both Judith and her mother Grace have to make choices which will affect their own happiness.  Career choices in mid-life may have more far-reaching effects as the options begin to narrow in a youth-obsessed culture.

One thing I did find a bit curious, though.  I read through the discussion guide at the end of the book and the first question was "...did Happy Any Day Now make you laugh?  What were the funniest parts for you?"  I find that very few writers can make me laugh, Dave Barry, Tim Dorsey and Jasper fforde being  notable exceptions.  Though I enjoyed reading this book, I think a better question to ask would have been "What part of the story touched your emotions, and how?"  I did feel my eyes tear up in a few spots, especially when Judith plays at the funeral.

If you're an older reader who believes romantic life can last as long as you do, you'll appreciate this new addition to "fully mature chick lit".