Saturday, Aug 1, 2009

Book Review: The Center of The Universe by Nancy Bachrach

Author:          Nancy Bachrach

Publisher:       Knoff

                    Random House

ISBN #:          978-0-307-27090-0

Type:             Memoir

Pages:           234 Hardback

Published:      April 28, 2009

Website:         www.nancybachrach.com

Purchase:      $16.47 @ Amazon (HERE) 

The Story

“Nancy Bachrach is living in Paris, advertising deodorant to the French, when her parents are found aboard their boat, the aptly dubbed Mr. Fix It, which leaked carbon monoxide overnight. Her father is dead, and her mother, the self-proclaimed “center of the universe,” is in a coma. (Worse, her chart at the tiny seaside hospital says she’s in a “comma.”).”

“Thus begins a dark, hilarious family reunion with her brother, Ben (a piano prodigy and eventual surgeon who was born with three thumbs), and sister, Helen (the wild child, now an “abnormal psychologist”). The siblings gather around their mother’s hospital bed, with Nancy eyeing the plug. This is a tale of genius, madness, ineptitude, collateral damage, and hope — with an ending that’s improbable, as only the truth can be.”

(Excerpt is from www.nancybachrach.com)

The Review

Memoirs are becoming one my favorite books to read.  So many good ones come to mind… The Glass Castle, Angela’s Ashes and The Invisible Wall.    This particular memoir is a daughter’s story of her remarkable mother, Lola.  Although many would argue that Lola is plain crazy, the woman is brilliant, beautiful and quirky.  Like most mothers, Lola’s had her share of parenting mistakes that have left a lasting impression on Nancy.  Despite the difficulty of dealing with her mother, both in childhood and adulthood, Nancy cannot deny the strength of the deep bond she has with her mom, the uniquely “colorful” mom that she is!  

Nancy’s journey back home upon her father’s death and mother’s accidental coma took me for a bit of a loop.  For much of the beginning of the story I felt that Nancy was intentionally detached from the situation and from Lola.   It almost felt as though she wasn’t hurting and mourning the loss of her father the way that an adult child normally would.  She was the first of the siblings to take a shift taking care of her mother before returning to work in France.  During this time, I still felt the distance between Nancy and Lola.  But, as the story continues on, I come to realize that much of what Nancy is saying is for the sake of her sanity and the protection of her heart.  She does, in fact, love her mother dearly.  As her mother recovers from her coma and eventually regains her health, Nancy is there for her in such a strong way.  By the end of the book, the love that Nancy feels for Lola is so beautifully apparent.

Overall, Nancy handles this traumatic situation with character and grace.  You come to learn to laugh with Nancy and love Lola.  What more could you ask for?

The Rating

Despite the psychological depth of this book, Bachrach writes this memoir with memorable wit.  She’s got a great sense of humor… you know that dry, cynical way of bringing intelligent laughter.  For a debut book, she wrote it quite cleverly and it compels the reader to continue the story.  At times, the distance between Nancy and Lola saddened me, but the resilience of their family’s love made it all worth it in the end.  I would recommend this book and found it to be one of the more unique reads of the year, to date!

Special thanks to Sarah for this heartfelt read!

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