One Two Three

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Fiction

2021 Henry Holt and Company

Finished on January 14, 2022

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

In a town where nothing ever changes, suddenly everything does...

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed―tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive. Because it's hard to let go of the past when the past won't let go of you.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.

It's been over three years since I read Laurie Frankel's marvelous novel This Is How It Always Is. It was one of my favorite books of 2018 and I still think about the characters in that thought-provoking story. I was thrilled to win an ARC of Frankel's most recent release from Shelf Awareness in late 2020, but of course it wound up on my TBR shelf for more than a year. I plan to read all of the books on that shelf in 2022 and One Two Three ended up on my January reading list.

I wish I could say that I loved this book as much as I loved This Is How It Always Is, but it was somewhat disappointing and a little bit of a challenge to finish. The novel alternates between the three sisters' (triplets) narratives, which provides insight to each of their lives and inner thoughts. I liked each of the girls equally and came to care about their challenges in Bourne. Unfortunately, halfway in, the book became a slog and I wanted to be finished and move on to something else. In addition to receiving an ARC from Shelf Awareness, I also received a complimentary edition of the audiobook from Libro.fm. After reading a few reviews from other bloggers, I wish I had listened to the book instead of reading the print edition. The audio includes three narrators, one for each sister, which I can imagine adds to the humor and emotion of the story, especially in the final chapters. Maybe I'll give it a listen in a few months and update this post once I have.