Mad Dash

Patricia Gaffney's women's fiction books are a real challenge for me. I can't resist them, because she's such a fabulous writer, and because she's witty and wise and, well, I don't think it's exaggerating much to call her a goddess. On the other hand, it's women's fiction. In general, it's the one genre I loathe. At best, it's serious. At worst, it's whiny women who blame men for all their problems. It's a good thing I love Gaffney, because otherwise I'd hate her. Not only does she make me read women's fiction... she makes me love it. Dash and Andrew have been married nearly 20 years. He's a stuffy history professor, she's a free-spirited photographer. Dash's mother died recently, and now their only child is going off to college. Then a puppy shows up on their doorstep. Dash wants to keep it; Andrew's allergic. Dash and the puppy move out, going to their cottage. Andrew: She's leaving me? Over a puppy? Dash: How can he not see that it's not about the puppy? I'd venture to say that most long-married couples will recognize the spirit behind their confusion--Pat has human nature down so well that these characters feel utterly real. Like many couples in their situation, they've taken each other for granted, focused on their careers, their children, their aging parents, and when that outside focus is taken away, they find themselves married to someone they don't know, and maybe don't even like all that much. And the women (though this could apply to men, too, but in this case, it's Dash) discover that after years of devoting themselves to other people--husband, parents, children--there's nothing left of themselves. How Dash and Andrew cope with the separation and learn and grow and find themselves and each other again is a story full of warmth and humor and pain and love and realism. It's truly a wonderful book. All the moreso because it brought me to an odd realization about myself, which was both uncomfortable and inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Patricia Gaffney has written a book that chronicles the lives of married partners who seem to be at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to getting what they want from life. It paints a picture of what a family can endure when a marital split occurs as the child is becoming an adult, demonstrating that such a situation involves just as much discretion and patience. The main characters are just as human as you or I and possess unique personalities of their own. They could be your siblings, neighbors, or people you know at work - they're just that real. There's plenty of wit and equal parts of humor and romance. I found myself chuckling outloud several times and shed a few tears as well. As mentioned in the review by Publisher's Weekly, some passages do seem to be dangerously over-the-top and drawn-out, but the overall product is still an excellent read. This is the first of Gaffney's books that I've read and, honestly, I picked it up because Janet Evanovich's testimonial on the back spurred me on. I loved "One For The Money" and think that Ms. Evanovich is a terrific writer. When her quote stated that it was her favorite Gaffney book yet, I felt it would be worth the time ... and it definitely was. Dash and I became imaginary friends quickly since I identified with her early rebelliousness and the sacrifices that she'd made for her family and relationship. On the other hand, I also identified with having my children grow more independent of me and being faced with a future alone with my spouse. Just as Dash did, I had to discover my true identity and reconsider my goals and dreams within the parameters of my relationship. We all want more than we have, but few can resign themselves to accept and rejoice in what they have, seek to fulfill a dream or two without compromising their love, and trust that the end result is what they were meant to experience in their lifetime. Dash shows that there is no shame in doing so and Andrew teaches us that there is hope for even the most stubborn, stagnant, comfortable husbands out there.

Mrs. Bender, one of the characters in Patricia Gaffney's MAD DASH, sums it up when she asks the heroine, Dash Bateman, how many years she's been married. Dash answers, "Almost twenty years," and Mrs. Bender replies, "Oh, yes, well, that's when it starts to get pretty serious, isn't it?" Told first through the voice of Dash, and then from her husband Andrew's point of view, this is a story about a marriage that unravels for a time. It is not one of the "big issues" of life that begins the derailing, but a small one. One evening, as Dash and Andrew return home, they find a dog on their doorstep. Is she alive? As they work together to call the vet and revitalize the puppy, the incident takes on a different tone. Dash, who is tired of loss and giving things up, wants to keep the puppy. After losing her mother six months earlier and then sending their daughter off to college, Dash is ready to embrace this new pet. Andrew, however, wishes to give the dog away. Dash, who has a good career as a portrait photographer, walks out over the disagreement and goes to her photography studio. This act of leaving starts a chain reaction for the couple. Dash decides to move down to their cabin in Virginia. While sorting herself out, she spends time with Cottie and Shevlin Bender. Shevlin is the handyman who the Batemans have hired to help maintain the cabin. Cottie and Shevlin have been married for 40 years, and Cottie has just come through heart surgery. The two women talk about life, and Dash hears how love and marriage has worked for them. Andrew's world is also full of challenges. An Associate Professor of History at Mason-Dixon College, he is offered an opportunity to move up in his career. Full professorship and consideration as the next department chair are his, if he will contribute a chapter to another professor's book. He has already disappointed his father by choosing to become a teacher instead of a lawyer. As Andrew faces his father's aging and ailing health, he learns about his dad's lost dreams. Will he take the necessary steps? Does he even want to do this? Gaffney's portrayal of Dash and Andrew provides readers with the integral sounds, personal gestures and small words of a relationship. We are given an intimate view from both perspectives as they experience moments of annoyance, sadness and laughter. This story resonates for anyone who has been in a long-term relationship, through all the ups and downs. The author's trademark humor is exemplary in MAD DASH. Her ability to write opposing points of view over the same relationship creates empathy for both characters and is brilliantly executed. --- Reviewed by Jennifer McCord

Mad Dash immediately drew me into the world of its struggling characters, and made it difficult for me to leave them. It's more than a captivating read. Gaffney elevates human confusion, disappointment and inanity to philosophical revelation. Reading this book made me feel like I was being soaked by warmth, and left me more accepting and amused by my own deeply flawed humanity. Read it!

I said it before, I'll say it again -- Patricia Gaffney could write a grocery list and I'd be enthralled. MAD DASH is a gem of a novel and Dash and Andrew are wonderful characters -- three dimensional, charming, fascinating, quirky, funny, and oh, so human. As other reviewers have pointed out, Gaffney tells the story from two points of view, but make no mistake, this is a woman's story. In fact, for any woman who has been married more than ten years, this is a must read. So many truths are contained in this book, one wonders if Gaffney has been spying in your house, or worse, reading your mind, for how else could she know these things? I kept laughing (quietly, I didn't want my husband to ask what was so funny) as I read, and I didn't want the book to be over. Sadly, it was. Now the wait begins for another Gaffney book. Hurry up, Pat. Some of us are not very patient! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED