Where'd You Go, Bernadette

My goal is to read 100 books by the end of 2013.  I just finished book 51.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Summary (via the book jacket):
When fifteen-year-old Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, her fiercely intelligent but agoraphobic mother, Bernadette, throws herself into preparations for the trip.  Worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Bernadette is on the brink of a meltdown.  As disaster follows disaster, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces.  Which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together emails, invoices, and school memos to reveal the secret past that Bernadette has been hiding for decades.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette is an ingeniously entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are, and the power of a daughter's love for her imperfect mother.

My Opinion:
This book reminds me how much I dislike catty women, especially when they band together in a groupthink against someone they deem an "outsider".
The unique storytelling and original concept kept me guessing; I had "wait, WHAT?!?" moments throughout the entire book and I stayed up very late because I had to know how everything would wrap up.
I would definitely read other books by this author, and I recommend this as a solid, interesting read.

Quote from the Book:
"I felt so full of love for everything.  But at the same time, I felt so hung out to dry there, like nobody could ever understand.  I felt so alone in this world, and so loved at the same time."