Despite its rose-coloured romance, Why Moms are Weird is weightier than many books classified as chick lit, with an emotional resonance that surpasses the sometimes credibility-stretching plot. Benny is the self-proclaimed sane one, but she discovers that in judging and trying to fix her family, she's alienating them in the process. She's still reeling from the loss of her father, and has to watch her mother move on, both ineptly and decidedly. She worries about her younger sister, who puts up with an abusive boyfriend and can't seem to escape living in her mother's house. Benny deals with the body image issues of a girl who grew up overweight and can't reconcile herself to the fact that people see her differently now that she's slimmer.
There are occasional too-precious moments, like Benny and Mickey exchanging "loglines" to get over that boring first date chit chat. What's a logline? Ask someone from Hollywood. But Ribon provides minute details of Benny's confused thoughts and feelings, sometimes seasoned with unexpectedly exquisite jokes, such as Benny comparing herself unfavourably to the girl she's subletting her apartment to, the graceful Grace: "I'm Benny, full of klutz."
I've never fallen in love in a car, or thought the music in a supermarket was an omen, which means Benny's quirkiness didn't always resonate with me, but there's a lot to like about the character, including the fact that she's not always likable. She's neurotic and self-righteous, but she's also trying desperately to do the right thing. The book suffers a little when she crosses the line into "why the hell would she do that?" unlikeability, but overall, Why Moms are Weird is an enjoyable light read with some welcome weight to it.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!