Good Eggs, Rebecca Hardiman
Hello Readers,
If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I tend to gravitate toward genres with darker, more serious themes. I love a poignant book that makes me think and feel deeply. I lean toward historical fiction that tackles tough times of the past, as well as page-turning mystery thrillers and weighty true stories. So, when I came across Good Eggs, I was unsure if Rebecca Hardiman’s lighthearted debut novel was going to grab me and hold onto me through 323 pages. After a brief internal debate, I decided to give it a chance and I must admit that I loved this book. It took a while for me to warm up, but before long I found myself truly enjoying the relatable Gogarty family craziness and the hysterical antics of eighty-three year old Millie. This is a fun book about family dysfunction; one that is sure to deliver a much-needed stress break to anyone who reads it. Enjoy my review of Good Eggs below. Best, Diane-Lyn
Synopsis by Diane-Lyn:
Despite the fact that Kevin Gogarty is unemployed, he has more on his plate than he can handle. His wife, Grace, often travels for work – leaving Kevin alone to deal with their four children. His teen daughter, Aideen, is an angry, rebellious young lady about to be shipped off to boarding school. He is at his wits end with his shop-lifting eighty-three year old mother, Millie, and her never-ending shenanigans. In an effort to help Millie get control of her behavior, he hires Sylvia, a young, energetic home aide. At first, Sylvia seems like the perfect companion for Millie. That is, until….
Review by Diane-Lyn:
Good Eggs is a generally feel-good novel focusing on the ups, downs and overall chaos of the Gogarty clan – a rowdy, dysfunctional, multigenerational Irish family. At center stage is Millie, a likable, spirited eighty-three year old grandmother determined to live life independently and on her terms. Her “terms” include shoplifting, belching loudly at the dinner table, an elaborate escape from an elder care facility, and kidnapping. Millie is hilarious, but Hardiman did a superb job of balancing this character by presenting a few somber pockets of her past. In doing so, she brought the reader back to Millie’s earlier life, a time that included some pain. These transitions were brief. They weren’t overdone and they didn’t distract from the overall mood of the novel. They just presented Millie as a whole person; a balanced character. Stubborn, fun loving, and boisterous – but also with a history of loss and heartache; a true survivor.
I loved Aideen’s character as well, and I felt for her throughout the book. Aideen, the less attractive, less admired fraternal twin of Nuala, is the angry “problem child” of the family. Her parents deal with this by shipping her off to boarding school, apparently never considering that this decision would only make her 100 times more angry (Duh!). Once there, she immediately latches on to another rebel and her problems escalate more than anybody could have ever imagined. There were definitely personality parallels between Aideen and Millie and it was great to see them connect and understand each other.
Kevin’s character is scattered, but he does his best to manage a high-maintenance family – all while having a midlife crisis of his own. His wife, Grace, is the sole bread winner of the family and needs to work in order to support everybody. However, her job involves constant traveling to exotic places, deeming her an absent parent and creating a very unbalanced parental dynamic. Grace’s character is not likable and seriously lacks appropriate priorities. She was an uninvolved parent, yet she couldn’t understand why her children wouldn’t share details about their lives with her. Then, in the midst of a family crisis, she responds to Kevin by saying, “…I’m at work and you’re the parent”. Oh yes, priorities.
I found Good Eggs to be light and humorous; heartfelt but not overly emotional. I loved how the novel tackled the issues that elders face today. I was able to connect with some of the family themes, which were well represented through the lenses of three generations. I enjoyed seeing the family come together in the end, despite all of the quirky bumps in the road. The twists and turns were, at times, unrealistic. However, these stretches didn’t seem inappropriate given the genre, and they even added to the hilarity of the novel. The book was well-organized and well-written, although I did enjoy the second half of the book more than the first. Fun, relatable and engaging, Good Eggs was a nice break from heavier themed books, yet still had plenty of substance on which to ponder. Bravo to Rebecca Hardiman for a debut novel that has it all!
I recommend Good Eggs to anyone looking for an entertaining book that offers some comic relief. To purchase your own copy of Good Eggs, just click this link: Amazon: Good Eggs. This is an affiliate link, which only means that when you click the link and purchase the book, I receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you. Happy reading!
