Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble;it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.
Maybe that was always beside the point.
Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.
When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .
Is that what she’s supposed to do?
Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
In one of those random happenstances, we got a review advance of the audiobook for Rainbow Rowell's new novel, Landline, at the store. I liked Eleanor & Park and looooooved Fangirl so I decided I would give this one a try.
So, actual novel first. I don't like this as much as either of the two YA novels (and we can debate until the cows come home whether we can also put them in "New Adult" which I think should be a much more inclusive category than what it's currently used for), primarily for the reason that Georgie annoyed the crap out of me with her seeming inability to get her head out of the sand and actually realize how she's managed to treat her very nice husband as part of the furniture. And also allow her douche-y, controlling so-called best friend Seth to become the third member of her marriage.
I do not like Seth. At all. From his first appearance in the book. I'm pretty sure that was Rowell's intention but ugggggghhhhhhhh he needs to have his ass kicked repeatedly.
But I did really love the magical-realism of the landline telephone and all the flashbacks Rowell employed to establish her relationship with Neal. They were in college right around when I was in college so I enjoyed wallowing in all the early-to-mid 90s pop culture stuff. So that was enjoyable.
There's a surprise at the end of the book if you've read one of Rowell's other books (not going to say which one).
As to the narrator....it was OK. Her voice fit Georgie but I didn't particularly care for her "Neal" or "Seth" voices.
Dear FTC: I listened to an advance listening copy provided to my store by Macmillan Audio.
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