Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess
Published by: Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan
Genre: Non-Fiction, Romance, Politics
ISBN: 978-1-5290-8317-0
Pages: 323
Would recommend without being asked
Would recommend if asked
Would never recommend
Jess makes eye contact with the girl with the Black Power fist and the septum piercing. A look passes between them. But what is it? Jess can’t quite place it. Recognition? Judgement? She feels vaguely that she should be setting a better example. Suddenly, she’s self-conscious. Her hair pin-straight – they’re on their way to a reception – Josh in a cable knit sweater the color of a macaron.
In a Nutshell
When Jess meets Josh at their Ivy League college she dislikes him immediately. Taking him for an entitled white guy, he can’t accept that life might be easier for him and harder for Jess, the only black woman in their class.
After graduating they end up working together at an investment bank and eventually Jess starts to see him in a different light. Before long, their tempestuous friendship turns into a romance which leads Jess to question her identity. Is she willing to compromise who she is for love?
Book Club Notes
My feelings about this book are incredibly mixed. I didn’t enjoy it, yet I wanted to finish it & it kept me engaged. It felt too current and at points trying a little too hard to get in every aspect of the political climate and viral events in America. That being said, I appreciate how the author managed to express two opposing viewpoints so well and ultimately challenge the divisive relationships between people who don’t believe in the same things.
This book is less a story/romance novel and more a conversation about politics, class and bias. It poses the question, Can you love & live with someone who doesn’t understand you or believe the same things?
It’s written in an almost staccato style that reminded me of a tango which played in parallel unison with the messaging.
Read If
You’re interested in how two opposing sides of the American public think.
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