Sunday, November 7, 2010

Blythe's Book 42: I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass



I See You Everywhere is the first "grownup" book I've read in a while and I'm really glad I did. This narrative tells the story of two completely disparate sisters-- Louisa, the eldest, is bossy, overly irritable, and determined to have a family and her family's approval; Clem, the youngest, is spirited, magnetic, and often reckless and her passion for wildlife leads her to remote places and unique experiences. Each chapter is told from one of the sisters' perspective, and through this technique, we see their progression from rivals to almost-friends. Supporters, at the least. Their relationship is very complex, further complicated by their overbearing mother's comments and flaws, and the events in the story suggest that we never truly know the people we call family. I saw so many shades of myself in Louisa (and this was not at times an easy pill to swallow), but what came as the biggest of reliefs was that, no matter how irritable she could be, or how unsympathetic or unable to relate Clem could be (not at all like my sister), they still instinctively turned to each other. This is where Glass is her most convincing in her story-- maybe not all women will be able to relate to the strange blend of resentment and friendship that Louisa and Clem have created between themselves, but the message throughout is undeniably universal: when the chips are down, sisters turn to each other. And perhaps even more comforting, when sisters turn to one another, they don't have to think the same way, or react in similar fashion; they just have to be the person they have always been, the person the other expects to see and hear, and that will often be enough.

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