After the Rice

WHAT A BOOK, IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR A FUNNY, LIGHT READ, YOU'VE FOUND IT. I WAS SO INTO THIS BOOK, I THINK I READ IT IN 2 DAYS.

I rather enjoyed this book. Interestingly I didn't think the end was ambiguous at all. Apparently that's because I just assumed what their decision was, although now that I think about it I can see the ambiguity. I like the fact, though, that the story didn't get trite and trecaley. Having a family is an important decision and nobody should have children if they don't want them or do it because they feel familial pressure. The Karen story was a little over the top, but it was necessary to give a balance to the MC's decision.

I have enjoyed Wendy French's past books, and I was delighted to find "After the Rice". As always, it's a fun read, if a little unbelievable what with the families-in-law dynamics. In a way, it felt like two different stories were vying for space....a novel about newlyweds and how they deal with their families, and a novel about making adult decisions. However, I was pleased with the way Ms. French handled such a sensitive subject. The protagonist and her husband thought they knew what they did and did not want out of life, yet they reach a crossroads where they have to question everything they thought they knew. Just because two adults are married does not mean that they have to accept a pregnancy they didn't want in the first place. On the other hand, I was disappointed in the way she handled the older sister's *secret*. Good grief--it's such a cliche to say that every girl who has an abortion when she's young is haunted by it for the rest of her life. The characters could have been fleshed out better, in my opinion...but I'm glad I read it and I look forward to the next WF novel.

After the Rice is French's latest novel, and although features her distinctive quirky characters, this book deals with some serious issues. Megan Ismore is twenty-nine, married for ten months, a "mature student" and finds out that she's pregnant. The problem? She and straight-laced husband, Matt, don't want children. Over the course of a week, Megan tries to get time alone with Matt to tell him her news. Unfortunately, two annoying house guests, a sister having a nervous breakdown, and babysitting a "pink tyrant" of a niece leave little time for the couple. Will they keep the baby or won't they? The difficult question at the heart of this book shows French is expanding as a writer, tackling more complicated situations through her characters.

In Victoria, Canada, Megan and Matt have not yet celebrated their first anniversary together, but she feels overwhelmed and stressed out by the demands of both their families. She believes she has enough on her plate with returning to school and just the typical adjustments that any couple in their first year as husband and wife goes through though they are obviously in love with one another. Her older sister Karen, still breast-feeding, needs a break before she suffers a breakdown so she unceremoniously dumps her "Pink Tyrant" of an infant off on Megan while their other sibling Andrea nests on the couch. Worse, her drunken Uncle Tony takes over the cottage's basement. Finally with mid-terms coming soon, her in-laws scheduled an anniversary dinner on the same date and time that Megan and Matt are expected to attend a gala at her great-aunt's home in which Megan's parents expect them there. However, the real cloud is that Megan believes she is pregnant though she and Matt agreed to never have children. As she struggles with what to do, she finds herself never alone with Matt to simply talk with him about how he feels now that she is carrying. This zany tale contains a strong subplot about pregnancy which is handled deftly while never losing the wit or denigrating the personnel decision. The story line is filled with an ensemble cast, but each including the dog and the tyrant has distinct personalities emphasized by their demands and wants. Megan is terrific as the focus of the plot as she goes from beleaguered to over the edge. Fans of family dramas filled with humor and seriousness that blend brilliantly together will appreciate this strong look at relationships AFTER THE RICE is tossed. Harriet Klausner