Good Company: A Read with Jenna Pick

I received an advanced readers copy of this book — almost exactly three years ago. I am not exactly sure what happened or why I did not read the book until now, but I’m glad I did. What’s most interesting about the circumstances surrounding this book is that I must have thought I would really like it, because not recalling the advanced readers copy I had received previously, I BOUGHT myself a copy in January, 2023!I won’t rehash the book’s plot, but I will say that it is cleverly written from the perspective of several different characters and goes back and forth in time between the present and the past in these characters’ intertwined lives. The author, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, expertly explores the intricate, intimate interplay between married spouses, friends, and parent/child relationships, delving into the characters’ innermost thoughts and motivations and the consequences of their actions. She correctly demonstrates that people are the products of their upbringings but also have the choice to change the trajectory of their lives. There were several instances in the book where I found myself considering how I would feel or act if I were confronted with similar circumstances and whether I agreed or disagreed with, or at least understood, the choices the characters made.After reading Good Company, I look forward to reading Ms. Sweeney’s other novel, The Nest. Ironically I purchased The Nest just days before receiving the ARC of Good Company from NetGalley but inexplicably have yet to read. The adage “too many books, too little time” definitely rings true for me!Thank you to NetGalley, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, and the publisher Ecco for providing me the chance to read Good Company as a ARC, despite the fact I wound up purchasing a copy! I’ve provided this review VOLUNTARILY.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is right with the world, and you glory in your life, and, then, something happens and nothing is as it seemed? This was Flora’s day, and the resulting clamor would reverberate within her family and those that they loved. This story is told in alternating format from this point in time versus years ago. And, to really set the tone, the story is told from differing perspectives of those involved.Flora and her husband Julian are from a theatre background. Julian has built a distinguished company theater, and Flora looking for acting roles has become a professional voiceover actor. They moved from New York City to Hollywood, and have a comfortable life. They have a daughter who will graduate high school soon, and Flora wanted a particular photo to show her. What she found instead was something of Julian’s that he had said he lost years prior. The happy marriage that Flora had thought was theirs, may not be based on reality. Wow!Margot and David, their best friends, are interwoven into this issue. Margot is a well known television star on a long running series. David, a physician, has had a debilitating stroke, and is not the same manMargot married. They are more successful and have more wealth than Flora and Julian. This has not caused too many issues, but, of course, under the surface, there is some jealousy.The storyline follows these friends. Flora and Julian, who are married, and also their best friend Margot, married to David. They are all actors. Flora and Julian struggled, but found success with their most recent work. Margot is the most successful, and the happiness she knew has changed with David’s stroke. These changes and now, the new revelation, give each character a chance to talk about and think through their perspective.This book is character centered, not much action, but I found a great interest in the relationships, how they interconnected and each person’s perspective. Much of the book is detail oriented which gives good leeway to the other opinions, sometimes contradicting but always revealing. This is a book that brings relationships and how they look to-each other. So well written and enjoyable. I found myself listening more to others and pondering their opinions, particularly when they differ from mine. I grew to like these characters, and that is one of the biggest compliments-a reader can give to an author.Recommended. prisrob 04-06-2021

The best thing about the book is the initial premise. Flora finds her husband’s old wedding ring while searching for a photo. It’s mysteriously tucked away in a filing cabinet. Yet, Julian had told her that he lost it while swimming years ago. This is as intriguing as the book gets. Long-buried secrets and lies emerge from this unexpected find, but the story is somewhat tepid and predictable.Flora is a struggling NY actress when she first meets Julian, handsome and charming, with big dreams of a theater career and an impulsive, roving eye. The sudden appearance of the ring dredges up all of Flora’s deepest fears and insecurities about infidelity, despite her 20-year marriage. Margot and David are the married supportive best friends of the struggling couple, and Ruby is Flora and Julian’s outspoken teenage daughter. Without these three anchoring characters to offset the near-constant angst and rumination of Flora and Julian, the book would be tough to take. Margot is over-the-top and somewhat self-focused, but surprisingly refreshing, as she isn’t mired in the morass that is Flora and Julian’s ever-drama-filled relationship. Margot and David have issues of their own, and in some ways actually much more serious, yet they aren’t bogged down by the unexpected turns that their lives have taken. They just keep going. There are several cliches’ in this book. A stressed, bored, immature husband makes reckless choices that are neatly attributed to his difficult childhood. A wife balances work and childcare, trying not to acknowledge that she and her spouse are disconnected. When the relationship is tested and implodes, Flora is shocked, unmindful of the glaring red flags of past behavior. Conveniently, Julian has a seeming epiphany, and Flora begins her search for independence, re-defining how she feels about herself, her marriage and her friendships.The book had moments of insight and a readable story, but it was also depressing, and the characters just didn’t reach me. I wish I had liked Flora more than I did. The story is well-worn territory, told more deftly in other books.

The pages of this book seem like they were cut by hand. The margins of the pages are all misaligned, not cut properly. You cannot go from one page to another easily.

I liked the interplay between the characters. Gets you thinking about the people you chose to keep in your life and the people who chose you to keep in their life. Is everyone good company? If not, what then?