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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » I Smile Back

I Smile Back

7 Ratings: 1.7

A book written by Amy Koppelman and published in 2008.

"Koppelman's prose is as spare and powerful as poetry."-St. Petersburg Times, on A Mouthful of Air In the follow-up to her acclaimed debut, A Mouthful of Air, which drew comparisons from critics to The Bell Jar and The … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Book, Cafe Libri, Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Book Reading, see all

Author: Amy Koppelman

Genre: Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Psychological fiction, General Fiction

Publisher: Two Dollar Radio

Date Published: November 1, 2008

ISBN: 0976389592

1 review about I Smile Back

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Depressing Book with No Hope (Review: "I Smile Back" by Amy Koppelman)

Mar 14, 2010

by Adrianna
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

-2

This is a rather cryptic and mysterious book. It reads like poetry and explores the "messed up" mind of Laney, a suburban housewife and the protagonist. I Smile Back has an air of Sylvia Plath and Kate Chopin but it is not as artistically or engagingly written.

The book is structured like a play in three sections:

"Act One: North Jersey, Labor Day, 2002"
"Intermission"
"Act Two: North Jersey, Five Weeks Later"

The setting of New Jersey is average enough but extremely important. The suburban location is important to the overall theme of the book and Laney's mental development. Does middle class living imply a happy and fulfilling life? The quote at the beginning of the book answers this question: "Show me a single wound on earth that love has healed" (Jim Harrison). The setting and tone of the book has an intense air of depression that drags the reader into the depth's of Laney's hopelessness.

Laney has everything a woman her age could want: a loving husband, two beautiful and intelligent children, good looks, and financial security (to name a few). Yet, it is not enough for Laney. She constantly feels smothered by her "perfect life." She has no friends, doesn't know her husband, and sees her mortality reflected in the faces of her children. She plays the perfect role of house wife, but it provides no reason for existing. As the novel progresses, the reader is drawn into Laney's mind as well as the mysteries of her past which play into her fears and influences a lot of her destructive actions.

Countering her destruction is Bruce, the ever "helpful" husband. They were teenage sweethearts, and he doesn't understand what happen to the woman he fell in love with. Even though he does everything to get her help, to cure the neuroses, he comes off as a pompous and controlling jerk. He doesn't understand that he is part of the problem. Laney does not want to be simply a wife and mother. Laney's original desires have changed as she's grown older, and her family cannot change with her.

The hardest aspect of the book, other than the utter hopelessness and depression, is the family life. Everyone is a victim and everyone gets hurt by Laney's use of drugs and promiscuous sleeping around. However, the people who are the most helpless to do anything, the people who should be protected from this shock of reality, are Laney's two children: Janey and Eli. The affects of Laney's neuroses messes up their development, as apparent with Eli's eye ticks. They can feel that something is wrong between mommy and daddy, but they cannot understand or help their parents. It is really depressing to see how children are affected by the sins of their parents. I felt like crying every time I read more and more about Laney's children.

This book is about people, most noticeably Laney, Bruce, and their children Janey and Eli. There is no traditional plot that leads us to a denouement. Instead, there are snapshots into one person's life. The pictures don't always connect chronological, though. While reading, I often felt like I was in a drunken stupor trying to connect the pieces to this puzzle.

The book deals with others trying to understand Laney's puzzling life, such as issues of psychology as well as rehabilitation. What the author thinks of psychologists and treatments is expressed by the predictable ending. For me, there were no surprises to this book. Everything happened the way I guessed. You never truly understand the human mind. That is life.

Overall, I recommend reading this book only if you are interested in the human mind, psychology, or are in the mood for a depressing and hopeless story. The style of writing is interesting with vivid details, but it doesn't compare with classic women author's who wrote about similar issues. For me, this is a modern day rewriting of The Awakening with all the filth, language, and medical jargon that embodies the 21st century.

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Pardolis March 21, 2010

I probably won't be reading this one, but the concept does seem intriguing to me. Sometimes human behavior simply does not make sense and I do like novels that can effectively and artistically express this. Things aren't always wrapped up in a neat package since human beings aren't perfect. Novels that admit this instead of shying away from it win points in my book. However, I might feel differently if I actually read this one. Don't think I will, though. Good review. :-)

Adrianna March 22, 2010

I couldn't agree with you more about human behavior not always making sense. I love reading pieces of nonfiction by scientists, doctors, and psychologists who try to explain why we do or act a certain way. They can be truly fascinating pieces of information! I just wish the "artsy" parts of this book didn't feel so contrived or forced. I do think you should skim through it. It's not very long, and you might be persuaded to read it merely because it's short. I would love to know your opinion on it!

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Sheri_in_Reho March 16, 2010

Wow...I can definitely see this is one for me to avoid. Thanks for a great review!

Adrianna March 16, 2010

Yeah...it's a real downer. You have to be in the right mind-set to read it; that's for sure. The writing wasn't horrible, which is why I didn't give it a -5, but she tried too hard to make it more poetic than what it was (pretentious writing).

When I first read "The Awakening," I didn't like it. It took me my third reading of the book to really appreciate what Chopin had to offer. I don't think this book is of the same caliber, though, and I can't see myself wanting to re-read it ever.

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