The Adventure of Life

Wally Lamb's books are always so-o-o-o long; but they're always so-o-o-o good.  They are very worth the time spent reading them.  I guess She's Come Undone is the author's first.  If this is an indication of his talent, then Wally Lamb is my new favorite author.  His character delineation is excellent.

We meet the protagonist, Dolores, as a teenager.  Her big issue was a dad that basically left the family.  He couldn't keep his zipper zipped.  Her mother had mental and emotional issues and eventually had to be hospitalized.  So Dolores retreated to Grandma's.  Good ole Grandma to the rescue. 

Grandma may have been old, old-fashioned, rigid, odd, but she was always there to pick up the pieces.  Poor Dolores coped by eating.  In high school, she became morbidly obese.  But before high school, when Dolores was only twelve, she was raped.  It did a job on her, as it would on anyone. No wonder she sought comfort in eating.  Her parents were occupied with their own demons and Grandma didn't know anything.  Dolores only friends were the gay guidance counselor and the tattoo artist, Roberta, who lived across the street.

Dolores' Mom really, really wanted her to go to college, even though Dolores didn't want to.  Then Mom died and Dolores felt obligated to try college.

It was a disaster.  Everyone bullied her.  Everyone except the lesbian custodian who befriended her.  After a mammoth fallout with everyone, (Everyone!), Dolores ran into the lesbian's arms. But Dolores was disgusted with herself and grabbed a taxi and left.  In the taxi, the radio news was dominated by a whale washed ashore on the Cape.  So she told the taxi driver to take her to where the whale was. 

From the Cape, Dolores was committed to a mental institution. It was good for her, physically, emotionally, and mentally.  She loses all that weight, and it doesn't come back.   From the hospital, she went to Vermont.  She chose Vermont because an old college boyfriend of her roommate lived there.  In fact, they had apartments across from each other.  This wasn't a coincidence (read the book).  Dolores ends up marrying him.

To make a long story short, this guy isn't her "happy ever after" husband.  He's a loser; he makes her have an abortion.  The trauma of the abortion is something she regrets for the rest of her life.  She eventually gets rid of the husband and moves into the house her grandmother left her in her will.  Dolores even tries a few college courses and straightens out her life as much as anyone can.

In the end, you're happy for Dolores but sorry because the story ended. Now that's a good book.