983. Unless

Unless
Carol Shields
2002

Around 225 pages

Reta Winters is a successful author whose daughter decides to drop out of school and become a panhandler with a sign around her neck that says "Goodness." This is the kind of nonsense that makes me not want to have kids.

I hesitate to call this novel quiet or understated, because is that just a label we like to apply to works penned by female authors? But I think it applies here. This was an unhurried story, which is ironic, because Shields died shortly after its publication. And I do love novels that dig into the process of writing.

It felt very real, and without knowing anything about her personal life, you get the sense that she deeply understands the pain that can come from being a parent. This pairs well with a Paul Auster novel, and contraception.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted into film in 2016.

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