Olivia Strauss is turning 39. It’s not quite the big one but she’s beginning to realize that all the things she's always said she would do, like getting back into writing poetry and spending more time in the city...
Olivia Strauss is turning 39. It’s not quite the big one but she’s beginning to realize that all the things she's always said she would do, like getting back into writing poetry and spending more time in the city with her best friend, Marian, keep getting pushed behind more immediate needs, like caring for her 5-year-old son and teaching at the local high school. When Marian takes Olivia to a spa that uses genetic tests to tell you when you’re supposedly going to die, however, time becomes a lot more precious and Olivia must truly contend with her mortality to answer the question: If you’re going to die sooner than you thought, what would you change? Brown’s exploration of a modern woman’s midlife crisis is refreshingly mixed with a quasi-science fiction plot in which even the characters don’t know how much they should believe. There’s a little bit of mystery, a little bit of drama, and a lot of people finding themselves, with all the mess that involves. Olivia’s husband, Andrew, and son, Tommy, are both well drawn and lovable, something that isn’t always true in the common "woman feels unfulfilled at 40" trope. Flashbacks to college contrasted with Olivia's current life throw both her situation and her friendship with Marian into strong relief, making it easy for the reader to understand where both women are coming from. The weakest moments are when Brown tries to conceal a plot point for a small twist that's telegraphed so strongly that it would have been better just to let it breathe—but the outcome is still incredibly effective.