This short novel follows 12-year-old Katie as she goes about her life on an army base in Texas. While the novel doesn't say specifically when it is set, it has got a feel of the 1950s or 1960s about it. Katie lives with her older sister Diane, 18, and her father. Katie's mother died from cancer some years ago. While her father always had a violent streak to him, it seems to have gotten worse since her mother's death. Both girls try to avoid situations that set him off, but they often can't predict what will do so. Katie often hides under her bed, having imaginary conversations with her mother to figure out things in her life. Katie also has a good friend, seemingly her only real friend, next door in a girl slightly older than her, Cherylanne. Cherylanne's mother also plays a motherly role in Katie's life, often having her over for dinner.Diane, in her last year of high school, and with a long-term boyfriend Dickie Mack, is starting to push back. When the girls are told that they will be moving again, Diane states her intention to finish her final year, of which only a few weeks are left here in Texas, staying with another family. This results in an eruption of her father's rage, and a change in the family dynamic. When Katie discovers that Diane has plans to run for Mexico with her boyfriend, she feels the pull to leave as well.A moving book of a family struggling with the loss of a mother, and looking for new ways to move forward. The issue of domestic violence that is present here, isn't really addressed, but that also fits with the time period the book is set in.
This author has a real talent for rendering the small details of girlhood. The first in a series of novels focusing on the same character (the others are Joy School and True to Form), Durable Goods introduces Katie, an army brat growing up in TX. Her mother has recently passed away, her father is cold and occasionally abusive, and her sister is itching to get out of town and away from their dad. Yet, for me, the heart of the book is not the family drama, but the spot-on descriptions of the mundane activities and friendship highs and lows that make up one hot, lazy summer in a young girl's life. Katie and her best friend Cherylanne (a fantastic character who is brought back in the other books) go to the pool, ride bikes, hang out, fight, and make up. Meanwhile, Katie misses her mother and worries about her Dad and sister. Doesn't sound like much to build a book on, but oh, it is. This book brought back my childhood more than any other book has, reminding me of some of the unwritten rules of friendship (one can hang out with an older neighborhood friend in the hood, but certainly not at school or on the bus), the activities that filled those long hours of sunshine (practicing back dives), and the way a young girl thinks, hopes, and dreams. Katie is exceptionally well-drawn--she feels like an old friend. I highly recommend this book.PS After reading these three titles, I went on an Elizabeth Berg tear, reading several other works by her . Some were ok, some were really pretty bad. These three are the ones to read.
What do You think about Durable Goods (2003)?
It’s rare that a movie sequel surpasses the original. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Terminator 2 and Before Sunset. It’s even rarer that a book sequel is better than the original because I think most authors pour most of their creativity into the first one and then half-ass the others. Or am I just being cynical? Anyway, I prefer Joy School, the second book in this series. I read it first and loved it without realizing it was a sequel. The writing was so sweet and fresh and lyrical. I assumed that this book, the original, would be even better. Not so much. The similes (of which there are many) don’t always make sense. I would literally stop reading and think, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” At one point, after making up with her best friend, Katie says, “I can feel relief in my throat like a cold.” No. Even if you can feel relief in your throat, I don’t think it feels anything like a cold. But whatever. I’m really particular about similes. Elizabeth Berg should be too.Aside from the lackluster writing, the story meanders too much and gets full-on boring at times. Almost nothing happens, which is usually fine with me. Almost nothing happens in Joy School, but in that case, the nothing was so round and deep and gorgeous. In this case, the nothing is just nothing. There were a few emotional scenes that almost made me cry, but I cry at Lifetime movies too and god knows most of those are shit.
—Nicky
Lovely little story that packs a big punch. Durable Goods is what Katie is transforming herself into. She has lost her mother, is afraid of her abusive military father. Katie lives on an army base, which is familiar territory to me, though hers is in Texas. With rich detail Berg brings back to me how it feels to be twelve -- trying to fathom the world and your position in it. Slightly older, Katie's friend Cherylanne initiates her into the world of women through magazine advice that takes me to that time perfectly. Katie's 18-year-old sister Diane and her boyfriend Dickie take her under their wings and try to change her life. The ending was not what I expected, but maybe it should have been. It works, though Katie's decisions may have altered if she had been older.
—Ann
This book for some reason just resonated within me. At first it started out as a quick read something to just use as an escape from the overwhelming amounts of life that have been toppling on top of me. But as the pages flew by I realized that it had been a long time since a book reached outside of its pages and truly touched me. Katie and her life had me memorized and sympathetic. I don't think I want to read the books that follow because it is one of those books where it ended in a, "how can it end that way!" But I want to keep that ending exactly where it is.
—Brooke Mac
