Review: ‘Today Will Be Different’

Maria Semple's 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette,” published in 2012, had a delightful madcap energy. Employing a variety of narrative approaches, but undergirded by the narration of Bernadette's 15-year-old daughter (a young woman who reads both precocious and young), 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette” uproariously revealed the titular character's backstory while the hunt for her was on.

Semple attempts something quite similar in her new novel, 'Today Will Be Different.” Like its predecessor, the new book is set in Seattle and features a woman - in this case, Eleanor Floor - at the end of her rope. A promise of self-betterment opens the book, but Eleanor's day is soon 'different” in ways she certainly didn't have in mind.

'Today Will Be Different,” in keeping with the various storytelling strategies of 'Bernadette,” features a bit of family history rendered as a comic book. But in the new book, the device, though beautifully rendered by Eric Chase Anderson, doesn't quite rise above gimmick status.

Late in the book, Semple makes a small error regarding the rules of football that generally wouldn't be a big deal. However, because her main character is given to fantasy, the mistake could be taken to signal something it apparently does not.

In the end, 'Today Will Be Different,” reads like a somewhat strained effort to capture the spirit and success of 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette.” But the new novel isn't as consistently funny and it's narrative energy, though arguably more focused than in the previous book, doesn't coalesce as convincingly. If you're thinking about giving Semple a try, go looking for Bernadette.