Story for the Week
Do you listen when you get a message from the universe? Call it what you will…fate, God, or just the chaos of existence. Sometimes those messages are subtle, and sometimes they smack you in the face so unexpectedly that you are forced to pay attention.
On March 1 (the dates are important), Corinne auditioned for a scholarship at the university she plans to attend in the fall. As I sat in the hallway outside the studio, I could hear her through the door, and she nailed it. But I had a moment (a few moments, if I’m honest) when I tried desperately to hold it together (I failed) because I couldn’t help but think that her dad should have been there.
We lost Dennis to pancreatic cancer three and a half years ago, so watching Corinne prepare to graduate high school and start college makes me miss him a lot more. I had both of my parents when I started college, and Corinne has spent all but a month of high school without her dad.
Then three years ago today, we unexpectedly lost my mom. She and my dad took care of Corinne from the time I finished my maternity leave. Once she started school, they picked her up every day. They attended every play, every band concert, every event. But six months after Dennis, suddenly my dad and I started attending everything as a pair instead of a foursome. Corinne has some big events coming up as she finishes high school. Dennis and my mom will be desperately missed.
Back in November (again, the timing is important), I requested the book reviewed in this post. Categorized as romance, as well as general fiction and adult fiction, it sounded like a sweet story about a woman who receives a slip of paper every time she meets a man she’s going to get involved with telling her the exact amount of time they will be together.
Now that’s a pretty blatant message from the universe, and I was intrigued. I even had a preliminary idea for a blog post. Given the choice, would you want to know when things would happen before they happen, or would you rather be oblivious right up until the moment they happen. In this case, how easy would it be to just enjoy your romantic relationships if you didn’t really have to worry about unexpected break-ups? You would always know when (or if) they’re coming.
I typically post reviews of advanced reader copies prior to their publication, so I originally slotted this one for early March. I’m a bit behind schedule this year (When Your Annual Reading Goal is at Risk). As I was shifting titles around, this review got pushed to the Sunday after its publication date of March 19. No worries. It happens. I thought nothing of it at the time.
I started reading it on March 3 (remember, the dates are important). I finished it on March 8. And when I looked back at my list to see what was next, I realized I scheduled the blog post for this specific book on March 24, my mom’s three-year anniversary. 😲
(I don’t normally do spoilers about the book reviewed in the Story for the Week, but this won’t ruin it for anyone, and they’re relevant to the story.)
About a quarter of the way through the book, we find out that the man the main character is involved with lost his wife several years before to an aggressive illness (which I assume was cancer). And her mom’s friend lost her husband to pancreatic cancer three years ago. Really, Universe? This is supposed to be a romance novel!!!! The expiration dates are supposed to be the dates the relationships expire! They are actually. This is a romance novel! And there’s another reveal at about the 60% mark that makes it a more blatant smack in the face. I ask again…really, Universe?
But wait. There’s more!
On March 9, I had the chance to see Corinne’s school theater department perform their Group Interpretation piece at Conference. Their piece is based on the story I Kill Giants. What’s it about? I’m glad you asked.
I Kill Giants tells the story of a snarky middle schooler who keeps getting in trouble at school. Her teachers send her to the principal’s office almost daily, and the other kids think she’s weird because she keeps writing stories in a journal about killing giants. It’s kind of an obsession for her.
But her giant—the one she desperately wants to kill and can’t—is the cancer that’s killing her mother. (Say it with me this time…really, Universe?!)
They performed it perfectly. At one point in the piece, the cast is silent, and you could have heard a pin drop in the audience. Mine weren’t the only tears. It was triggering and tough to sit through for a variety of reasons. And again, I wished Dennis and my mom could have been there.
(I have seen it three times since that first time because they competed and won 2nd at State yesterday. I cried every time. It has not gotten easier to watch.)
On my way home, I stopped at the store. As I backed into a parking space, I noticed how beautiful the sky was. I immediately smiled and said out loud, “I see you, honey.” I sent a picture to Corinne, and her immediate response was, “FATHER? 🥹🥹”
As much as I miss them, I know they’re both with us all the time. And at these events that I feel like they’re missing, to quote my former therapist, they have the best seats in the house. Sometimes, I need to be reminded. Thanks, Universe. 🥰
Missing you every day. We love you. 💖
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
4.5 Stars for Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
272 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 19, 2024
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher’s Description
Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.
Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.
************
Main Characters:
- Daphne – early 30s, assistant to a famous producer for the past three years, has been receiving notes since she was in 5th grade with a the name of a man (or boy when she was younger) and the length of time they would be a couple
- Jake – mid 30s, a television executive for Warner Brothers, set up with Daphne by Kendra, his name was on Daphne’s most recent slip of paper with no length of time
- Hugo – late 30s, one of Daphne’s ex-boyfriends, now her best friend, works in real estate, he is the only person besides Daphne who knows about the notes
- Kendra – trained Daphne to replace her in the assistant’s role and became one of her closest friends
- Irina – late 50s, “Old Hollywood,” Daphne’s boss
Some of the best romantic comedies have a mystical element to them. In Prelude to a Kiss, a new bride changes bodies with an old man at her wedding reception. In The Age of Adaline, a woman stops aging after a car crash into a freezing lake. City of Angels tells the story of an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman and chooses to “fall” to be with her.
None of these are realistic scenarios, but I’m still drawn to the stories. They take me a little out of the realm of reality, and they make me smile.
Expiration Dates reminds me of those stories, and I can totally picture it as a movie. Told in the first person by Daphne, the story begins with Daphne finding a piece of paper reading “Jake” slipped under her door as she leaves for dinner and her first date with Jake. The slip of paper is not unusual for Daphne, but the name without a timeframe throws her off a little bit.
Since fifth grade, Daphne has received pieces of paper with the name of a man (or boy when she was younger) and the exact amount of time she will have a relationship with him. While she waits (Jake arrives late), she texts her best friend Hugo and tells him about the paper. As both of them try to dissect what it means, they come to the same conclusion. Jake must be the one.
Over the course of the book, we learn how Daphne and Hugo went from lovers to best friends. He was, after all, one of her slips of paper (three months). He’s also the only other person who knows about them. Between the chapters developing Daphne and Jake’s relationship, the author drops in a handful of the relationships Daphne has had in the past. Some she moved on from easily, and some caused heartbreak even though she knew they were going to be ending.
As she navigates the experience of being in a relationship for the long haul, she takes advice from Kendra and Irina, who are constant female friends for her. But Hugo is a different story. He becomes more distant as her relationship with Jake develops.
Things eventually come to a head. They always do in a romance. But probably not the way you would expect, and I don’t want to spoil it. There are two big reveals. The first explains a lot about Daphne’s tentative personality. The second literally made me gasp 😲, but you have to wait until you get 87% of the way through the book.
I really enjoyed this, and it really made me think about how we respond to events in life when we think we know the outcome. It’s also a reminder to live life to the fullest while you can. (You’ll find out why when you read it.)
The only thing I struggled with was the chapters didn’t have any sort of indication of “when” we are in Daphne’s life, and the timelines flipped back and forth a bit with the chapters about Daphne’s exes. It would have been fine if Hugo weren’t a part of her past and present. But I found it a bit confusing. Knowing how old she was in each chapter to know where she was in her life would have been helpful.
This was a great read, and I’ll probably be looking into more by this author.
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