She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Fiction
1996 Washington Square Press (first published 1992)
Finished in December 1997
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
"Mine is a story of craving: an unreliable account of lusts and troubles that began, somehow, in 1956 on the day our free television was delivered...."
Meet Dolores Price. She's thirteen, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. Beached like a whale in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally rolls into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before really going belly up.
In this extraordinary coming-of-age odyssey, Wally Lamb invites us to hitch a wild ride on a journey of love, pain, and renewal with the most heartbreakingly comical heroine to come along in years. At once a fragile girl and a hard-edged cynic, so tough to love yet so inimitably lovable, Dolores is as poignantly real as our own imperfections. She's Come Undone includes a promise: you will never forget Dolores Price.
My Original Notes (1997):
At first I didn't care for this book. It seemed like all the rest of [the books I've read] this year - some poor girl who lives in a life of neglect, abuse, etc., struggling to get a grip on life and become a better person. But about halfway through, it grabbed me. I couldn't put it down. My heart went out to Dolores. She was in a marriage very much like my first and experienced so much that I had. I could feel her pain and confusion. Many may criticize this book, claiming it touched on too many bad events happening to one person, but life is like that. Some people do have bad experiences over and over again. Eventually, as with Dolores (and me) you do get a "happy ending." I'll read Lamb's next book!
My Current Thoughts:
Goodness. I have absolutely no recollection of this novel. And it obviously resonated with my thirty-something-year-old self, didn't it? Not only do I not remember any of the details, but I no longer own a copy, so I must not have planned to read it a second time. I did go on to read Lamb's next book, I Know This Much Is True, but haven't read any of his more recent works. I should remedy that!
I remember not being able to put this book down... and also being astonished that it was written by a man. Have gone on to read all of Wally Lamb's books!
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, I remember feeling that same way (about the male author writing this book), too! I'll have to look for more of his books at the library. I loved I Know This Much Is True!
DeleteI have a terrible memory when it comes to the books I read. The upside is that when I read a book I love, I can still go back and experience that feeling of discovering a favorite book for the firs time. Sometimes I can get halfway through the book before I remember anything about reading it the first time.
ReplyDeleteAngela, it's funny how the details of some books really stick with me and others are just a vague memory, even those I loved at the time. Of course, I read this one 20 years ago, so I know I shouldn't feel too bad about not remember too much about it. ;) I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night!
Delete