The Smart One (Vintage Contemporaries) Paperback – July 16, 2013

Jennifer Close's novel, The Smart One is a story of shifting family dynamics and growing-up. The Smart One follows the Coffey family, as three of the adult children have left and returned to the nest.Claire moves back home after her fiancé leaves her and she is drowning in a pile of credit card debt. Max has just graduated from college and his girlfriend is pregnant, creating a situation where his parent's basement has been converted into a mini-apartment for the new arrival. Martha has mental issues that prompted her to quit her nursing job and have kept her stuck in retail employment, not earning enough to live on her own. The Coffey family struggles to redefine their family dynamic and boundaries with their new circumstances.Close's subject is sure to hit home with many adults finding themselves having to move back home with their parents due to the tough economy. The situations presented in this story and the way that the characters react, feel very real and very relevant. The story reads as a slice-of-life, without any earth shattering plot twists or a dramatic story arc. Close writes a story that is very much character driven.I most related to Claire, who finds herself in a desperate situation after making a decent stab at independent living in New York City. Claire has a good job, a nice apartment and is months away from getting married, when her fiancé dumps her. She cannot afford to live on her own and just curls up in a ball and relies on credit cards to get her through, until the debt piles up and everything has spiraled out of control. She lets her depression control the situation. When she moves back home, she gets a basic job to pay off the debt, but starts seeing a guy from her high school that is in a similar situation himself. They fall into a quasi-relationship that basically doesn't extend beyond the boundaries of his parent's basement. I wanted to ring Claire's neck and get her out of her funk, but at the same time, I could totally relate. The circumstances have been different, but I've acted out in similar ways to Claire. It was frustrating to read.Overall, I enjoyed the story and I thought that Close is a solid writer and keen observer of human behavior. There was one thing that really bothered me. Normally, I don't give a lot of thought to the title of the book, but with this story, I couldn't let it go. I couldn't quite figure out what or who the title referenced. I think that it may have been intentionally vague, like it sort of fits all of the characters and is a statement on the fact that everyone's contribution to a family dynamic is unique. There is no such thing as "The Smart" kid. However, the vagueness of the title just drove me a bit batty. I felt like it made me lose my focus towards the story or that I spent an unnecessary amount of time thinking about it, more than the author would have intended.Finally, as Thanksgiving is tomorrow, this book was a timely read. Family dynamics can be bumpy and the story was a good reminder to remember that just because you're blood, doesn't mean that you are necessarily are similar. Sometimes time apart makes it easier to spend time together and to appreciate the differences. The Smart One is a great book to read if you are having trouble connecting with your own family. The fictional Coffey family gave me a sense of ease and perspective.Like my Review? Check out my blog.

This novel depressed the hell out of me. Instead of feeling smart, or even enlightened, or possibly encouraged, I just feel clinically depressed, like I need to see a shrink right now for a Tuesday afternoon appointment, once a week for the rest of my life. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this novel, because I did, but now I feel as though I need to adjust my prescription medication.Comparing and contrasting motherhood unabashedly from two distinct perspectives, THE SMART ONE gives us Weezy and Elizabeth. Weezy dotes on her three children to the point that she practically smothers them with pillows, and Martha experiences the extent of this doting most of all. Martha has this self-indulgent, self-absorbed view of the world, with a control freak temperament added for good measure and was my least favorite character. Claire, the most independent character, pretty much gave up her independence when she gave up on love, stuck her head in the toilet bowl, and flushed multiple times. Max found love, but it's not without its own complications.On the other hand, we have Elizabeth who climbs the corporate ladder with steel balls, an iron fist, and a willingness to leave a path of destruction in her wake. And she rules her household with the same iron fist and military-like discipline she shows in the corporate world. To the point that Cleo has no real basis for making friends. But she does have an excellent body that she flaunts 24/7 in a yellow bikini while a part of the Coffey family vacation.Dealing with depression, anxiety, anorexia, self-importance, self-indulgence, and unexpected pregnancy, this novel tackles a multitude of melancholy subjects, and I couldn't adjust my meds quick enough to contain the ensuing onslaught of despair. Even though I liked this novel, I wouldn't necessarily say I enjoyed it. Like Californication and Weeds before it, I could bask in the sheer bliss that my life hadn't resorted to this level of madness.Robert DownsAuthor of Falling Immortality: Casey Holden, Private Investigator

Weezy always felt there was an order to the list. It served to guide the family in matters big and small. At first she and Will needed everything. Now what she needs are happy, accomplished lives for her children, Claire, Max, and Martha. One time a discontented and rebellious Claire had written, "a life". Now Weezy fears that the grown children have lost their focus and wandered off their goals. Weezis not an ambitious mother, she is a mother who wants her children to have what THEY NEED.Claire's engagement has broken off. She is broke and will need to move home. Martha has left nursing school to manage a JCrew. Max is a genial laid back guy with a beautiful girlfriend. Each of the characters is distinctive in their struggle. The author has captured nicely the new American phenomenon of the extended childhood. Unfortunately it is a story that is a bit too universal. Interestingly, when the characters urge themselves to break from their patterns, we find ourselves doing a little cheer for the same thing. In fact my favorite scene is one in which Martha's therapist, after a year, becomes a bit impatient with the eternal tomorrow vastly upsetting Martha.The prose is gentle, and the plot makes no sudden turns. For a pleasant time with the cares and worries of an interesting family, this book certainly fills the need.

"The Smart One" ist das erste Buch von Jennifer Close, das ich gelesen habe. Ihren Debütroman - "Girls in White Dresses" - kenne ich nicht. Ich habe ihn aber bereits in meinen Einkaufswagen gelegt, denn "The Smart One" hat mir doch so gut gefallen, dass ich gern noch mehr von der Autorin lesen würde.Im Mittelpunkt der Geschichte steht die Familie Coffey - Weezy und Will und ihre drei erwachsenen Kinder Claire, Martha und Max - die mit allerhand Problemen zu kämpfen hat. Es ist ein recht klassisches Familiendrama, allerdings nicht von der ganz schweren Sorte. Die Sorgen und Ängste der Coffeys sind überwiegend alltäglich, wobei natürlich auch das ein oder andere schwerwiegendere Problem dazukommt - also (fast) wie im richtigen Leben.Kapitelweise wechselt die Perspektive, wobei man so nur die weiblichen Familienmitglieder (und Cleo, die Freundin von Max) näher kennenlernt. Sie werden alle sehr gut beschrieben, so dass ich schon nach wenigen Kapiteln das Gefühl hatte, sie gut und lange zu kennen. Will und Max dagegen erlebt man nur durch die Augen der Frauen in ihrem Leben. Sie blieben deshalb für mich bis zum Schluss ein bisschen blass.Die Geschichte ist insgesamt nicht wirklich aufregend, der Erzählfluss bleibt durchgehend ruhig und zurückhaltend. Wirklich spannend ist das Ganze also nicht, aber es ist trotzdem sehr unterhaltsam. Ich mochte die Figuren insgesamt recht gern (wobei mich Martha im richtigen Leben vermutlich schnell wahnsinnig machen würde!) und fand den Schreibstil ausgesprochen angenehm zu lesen. Vermutlich kein Buch, das mir ewig im Gedächtnis bleiben wird, aber rundum gute Unterhaltung. Der Roman ist übrigens auch unter dem alternativen Titel "Things We Need" erschienen.