Today Will Be Different

If people walked around with authors' names on their jerseys there would be almost as many "SEMPLE"s here as "SHERMAN"s and "WILSON"s, and the stadiumful of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? fans (me included) will feel right at home in her new book, the story of a smart, snarky, somewhat unhinged woman careening through her adopted Seattle like a bull in an artisanal china shop. Eleanor Flood's path across the city, ostensibly in search of her missing husband but really after things she doesn't even know she's looking for, has the pleasure of recognition—of both local landmarks and the minor horrors of human nature—at every turn, and the wallop of emotional depth when you least expect it.