Landline
Landline is a fun, low-ish stakes story with an interesting twist. There was never much doubt that this book would have a happy ending. But sometimes you just want to dive into a story with a known ending so you can enjoy the journey.
Georgie is an ambitious television writer. She and her writing partner are working on a top-rated sitcom that they hate but that is opening doors for them. They finally get a meeting to launch their dream TV show - the one they've been working on since college. But to prepare for the meeting, Georgie is going to have to miss Christmas with her family. And when she chooses her job, it puts a whole lot of strain on her relationship with her husband.
I will say that I had a hard time relating to Georgie's husband here. If Kevin had to miss Christmas because something came up at work - an emergency or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - we'd deal. He's missed Christmas before, and while it may be different with kids in the equation, it's not the sort of thing that would hurt our relationship. Add on to this the fact that Georgie's husband (Neal) never says he's upset, and a whole bunch of unnecessary pressure gets put on Georgie.
Georgie's life basically falls apart under the strain of it all. Neal never says anything, and then he starts pointedly not saying anything. But why should one person be responsible for the entire relationship? For not only fixing the problems but identifying them all as well. It's true that Georgie is selfish (there's a whole history of her choosing work over her family, which leads to this breaking point), but it would have been nice if Neal had ever actually expressed a desire or a need, instead of just passively going along with everything and growing ever more bitter.
The hook, the bit that elevated this story, is that through all this, Georgie ends up on the phone to Neal 17 years in the past. The other time they spent Christmas apart and almost broke up. It becomes an interesting rumination on what seems like a mostly one-sided relationship. Georgie has all of the ambition and all of the plans and Neal's just happy to be along for the ride - until he isn't.
Despite not really recognizing the relationship at the center of the book, I did enjoy reading this. It was fun and light with a well-done time-travel-esque paradox. I just wish present-Neal had been as much of a character as past-Neal.
Georgie is an ambitious television writer. She and her writing partner are working on a top-rated sitcom that they hate but that is opening doors for them. They finally get a meeting to launch their dream TV show - the one they've been working on since college. But to prepare for the meeting, Georgie is going to have to miss Christmas with her family. And when she chooses her job, it puts a whole lot of strain on her relationship with her husband.
I will say that I had a hard time relating to Georgie's husband here. If Kevin had to miss Christmas because something came up at work - an emergency or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - we'd deal. He's missed Christmas before, and while it may be different with kids in the equation, it's not the sort of thing that would hurt our relationship. Add on to this the fact that Georgie's husband (Neal) never says he's upset, and a whole bunch of unnecessary pressure gets put on Georgie.
Georgie's life basically falls apart under the strain of it all. Neal never says anything, and then he starts pointedly not saying anything. But why should one person be responsible for the entire relationship? For not only fixing the problems but identifying them all as well. It's true that Georgie is selfish (there's a whole history of her choosing work over her family, which leads to this breaking point), but it would have been nice if Neal had ever actually expressed a desire or a need, instead of just passively going along with everything and growing ever more bitter.
The hook, the bit that elevated this story, is that through all this, Georgie ends up on the phone to Neal 17 years in the past. The other time they spent Christmas apart and almost broke up. It becomes an interesting rumination on what seems like a mostly one-sided relationship. Georgie has all of the ambition and all of the plans and Neal's just happy to be along for the ride - until he isn't.
Despite not really recognizing the relationship at the center of the book, I did enjoy reading this. It was fun and light with a well-done time-travel-esque paradox. I just wish present-Neal had been as much of a character as past-Neal.
Comments
Post a Comment