In 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette,' a brilliant but eccentric architect mysteriously disappears, leaving her 15-year-old daughter Bee to unravel the chaos her mother left behind. As Bee navigates through a web of emails, documents, and interviews, the reasons behind Bernadette's retreat come into focus. Set against the backdrop of Seattle's tech culture and a society obsessed with perfection, the story blends humor and heart, revealing the complexities of family and identity. Readers are drawn into Bernadette's quirky world, filled with satirical elements that highlight the absurdity of contemporary life. This captivating tale prompts the question: What would drive someone to vanish, and what does it mean to truly belong?
By Maria Semple
Published: 2013
""You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.""
Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.
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“"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."”
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
By Maria Semple
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Maria Semple is an acclaimed American author and screenwriter, best known for her bestselling novels, including "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" and "This One Is Mine." Her writing often explores themes of modern life, family dynamics, and the complexities of relationships, characterized by sharp wit and keen social observation. Semple's unique narrative voice and ability to blend humor with poignant moments have garnered her a dedicated readership and critical acclaim.
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