A story of coming of age and family the Smart One takes a look at 1 long year of turmoil in the life of a family and the changes that come with it.Weezy's first priority has always been her children but now that her youngest Max is a senior at college she's not sure what to do with herself. Martha was focused on becoming a nurse but when that doesn't work out quite as planned she finds herself living at home & working as a manager at J. Crew. The only one she really talks to is her therapist and it doesn't seem like she's listening and is just being harsh.Claire had it all; an apartment, job and fiance in New York City and then she didn't. Now as she is about to turn 30 she is living in her high school bedroom and working a temp job.Max is the baby and entering his senior year at college with a gorgeous girl at his side when his life takes a turn to the unexpected.This story of family as it struggles to find itself as both individuals and a family makes you care about the characters and the choices they are making as they live a life that isn't working out exactly as they planned. A nice story interweaving 4 women within one family. Each one has "issues" and the two adult daughters who move back into their parents home are rather insufferable. However, Close does a good job of creating 4 very different personalities as the viewpoint changes between the women. I particularly liked Martha, who is a functioning narcissist, and who consistently gets things wrong merely because of the warped lens through which she views life around her. I also appreciated Weezy, the matriarch, who suffers extensive anxiety over her 3 grown children living lives that she hadn't expected.
What do You think about The Smart One (2013)?
An enjoyable book. Interesting family interactions. There isn't any clear plot.
—AmayaA
