I just finished 'Fly Away Home' by Jennifer Weiner. It's not her best book... yet this was the second time I've read it. I have very limited time at the library these days (toddlers are terrible at waiting while you peruse), and the two closest branches are a bit limited in their selections. I was in desperate need of things to read, and... I couldn't remember if I'd read this one or not - not a good sign.
The story revolves around a mother and her two grown daughters. In very different ways, all three of them have sublimated what they want and who they are in order to please those around them. In the case of the mother, that's how she spent her entire adult life, and her husband then cheated on her with someone that reminded him of who she was when they met. I am NOT blaming the (fictional) wife for the (fictional) affair. I am noting that the character found herself lost, and it wasn't until she spent time thinking only of herself and what she wanted/needed from life that she was able to find happiness. Happiness that she hadn't experienced in many many years.
The daughters 1) became someone who was outwardly successful, but was lonely and miserable and 2) became a drugged out scared-y cat. The 'successful' one had to slow down and stop caring what everybody thought. The druggy one had to rehab herself and learn that she didn't have to care that she would never 'measure up' to her sister, since nobody was measuring.
Food for thought, no? The message here is STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF. It's important. In some cases, it might be all you have.
This culture that has ben created wherein folks (usually women) create a version of themselves that they think is more palatable or popular terrifies me. How long do they honestly expect to keep that up? What do they think will happen when they drop the charade and let their true colors show? Why would they want to be with someone (friend or lover) who wouldn't like the person that they really are?
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