Book #80: All Fall Down

Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, an adorable daughter, a job she loves, and the big house in the suburbs. But while waiting in the pediatrician’s office, she opens a magazine to a quiz about addiction and starts to wonder…Is a Percocet at the end of the day really different from a glass of wine? Is it such a bad thing to pop a Vicodin after a brutal Jump & Pump class…or if your husband ignores you? She tells herself that the pills help her make it through her days…but what if her increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into her biggest problem of all?

Hailed as “a witty, realistic criticism on the modern age” (Boston Herald), this remarkable story of a woman’s fall into addiction and struggle to find her way back up again is Jennifer Weiner’s most masterful, moving, and celebrated work yet.

Author: Jennifer Weiner
Publisher: Atria Books (June 17, 2014)
Chapters: 28
Pages: 388

This was my first Jennifer Weiner book and probably my last. I hated this book. All the characters were unlikeable and I couldn’t summon enough emotion to feel sorry for the main character who was popping pills like it was the end of the world. I was very disappointed in this book. The author seemed more interested in cramming brand names into every chapter than making her characters likable. They weren’t even fully developed.

Here we have a late thirty-something mom, blogger, and wife name Allison who can’t seem to cope with a troubled daughter (only 5) and a distant hubby she suspects is cheating on her. She pops pills to cope better. Hubby works at Examiner and she used to work there as well until the annoying child came along and hubby decides that Allison should stay home full time.

Ellie. I hated that child. There was an incident where she stole her mom’s iPod and when confronted with it, she threw it at Allison’s head and she didn’t even get reprimanded. Is this what parenting has boiled down to?

I am not addicted to prescription pills, but I felt as if Weiner’s account was inaccurate. She did not grasp the world of addiction clearly. Allison did not have an overdose of popping so many pills and the author neglected to bring up that her main character surpassed addiction to a physical dependency before she went to rehab.

And I don’t get why authors have to portray children as bratty evil little nightmares. What? Don’t people produce good children anymore? Do they all misbehave and throw tantrums when they can’t get their own way? And shout and embarrass the parent out in public?

I think the story was unnecessarily wordy and it almost put me to sleep. I started speed reading before the 15^th chapter and should’ve quit, but I mustered the courage to go on. I couldn’t feel sorry for Allison not even when I got her backstory and when she checked into rehab, it was another snoozer. Allison was such a sanctimonious narcissistic bastard and although I could understand the denial part I thought it was overplayed.

Another thing I disliked was the way the author portrayed the facility’s employees and therapists. It was as if she went to rehab herself and left with a nasty grudge on one of the therapists.

I don’t know if Weiner has managed to set off anyone who has or is recovering from some kind medicine addiction, but if she has, I don’t blame them.

VERDICT:

NEXT UP:

Passing Through by Colin Channer