Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here earns a 3.25. It is a long read. And when I type "long" I mean the author takes 500+ pages to describe a week's worth of time. That is a lot of detail. The novel focuses on a family's return to their summer cottage - a last trip as grandma is selling the place. While somewhat daunting considering the novel's length and time span, the author has the opportunity to delve completely into the characters. Meg's husband has left her for a younger woman, Kenneth is beginning to realize his artistic aspirations may never amount to anything, Ella has a secret she is desperately trying to keep, and Sam is in danger of becoming a kleptomaniac. And at the front of it all is Emily, the matriarch of the family, who is dealing with the loss of a husband and the loneliness of her future. It is sometimes mundane, sometimes chaotic, real and complex - just like life.