Same as it Ever Was
Same as it Ever Was ~ Claire Lombardo
Julia Ames is the 57 year old mother of two. Ben, her 24 year old son, is planning his wedding. Alma, her daughter, is getting ready to graduate from High School and is worried about college admissions. Her husband, Mark, is loving and attentive. Julia isn’t quite sure why she isn’t happier, why she can’t ever quite accept that life is good. At the grocery store one day, Julia runs into Helen, an elderly woman she was close to 20 years earlier, bringing back memories of their time as friends, and how her friendship with Helen brought about events that shook her marriage and her idea of self to the core.
Julia had a difficult childhood, with an absent father and a mother who barely puts any effort into raising her. Julia is angry and sad and doesn’t really feel that she deserves good things in her life. She goes through a pretty serious time of depression while home with Ben, longing for the time when he spends a couple of hours in pre-school so she can chain smoke and simmer in her own thoughts. This is when she meets Helen, who she quickly falls for as a type of mother figure.
Same as it Ever Was goes back and forth between these times. 57 year old Julia, with a 24 year old son and an 18 year old daughter, figuring out what her marriage will be when the kids are gone, what her relationship with adult children will hold, as well as her relationship with her own mother. And 37 year old Julia, overwhelmed and lost in the tasks of parenting. Feeling judged and pitied by the other moms. Her best friend is her 4 year old son. She doesn’t feel like she can really talk to her husband about her sadness and anxiety.
This was a slow burn of a novel, but I loved it. I felt for Julia, and I wanted her to grow and get past the traumas of her youth, including the self-inflicted ones. Highly recommended.
14 Comments
Ernie
Whoa. I haven’t heard of this book, but it sounds really good. Thanks for sharing it here.
J
If you try it, I hope you like it!
Lisa's Yarns
I read this last year and liked it, but not as much as her first novel. I had trouble sympathizing with Julia at times. I had sympathy for her but she made such AWFUL DECISIONS!! Plus there was an aspect to the plot that nearly always ruins a book for me which I won’t mention as it would be a bit of a spoiler. But all that said, I still like the book!
J
She really did make awful choices. She is trying to burn her own house down, so self destructive. I felt for her.
Sarah
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
J
Me too!
Margaret
It sounds like a great discussion book and one we can learn from.
J
I think your book club would enjoy it!
Maya
I read it because Sarah loved it…
I wanted to grow up and be Helen!
(And I remember thinking Julia’s husband was kind of a pill.)
J
I kept waiting for Helen to suck, and she never did. She was awesome.
Karenmeg
I loved this book too, one of the best I’ve read in a long time !
J
Me too, really good!
Ally Bean
Sounds like a book I’d enjoy. So many book recommendations anymore. I’m thrilled but also a little overwhelmed. Still I go at my own pace.
J
Take your time, but keep this one on your list, it’s really good.