Something Blue

by Emily Giffin

A local bookstore, Daisy Chain Book Co. recently opened and a couple of days ago I decided to finally give them a long-overdue visit. I wasn't sure what I was looking for on my drive there. I usually opt for non-fiction so I thought I might look for an auto/biography or something of the sort. After I parked my car, I had a change of heart and decided I was going to look for a "feel-good" romance book. While I was browsing the bookstore, Something Blue caught my eyes. I used to work at Tiffany & Co. and considered it one of the best times of my life so it wasn't surprising that positive associations drew me to this book. I read the summary, and since it seemed to tick off all the boxes I had in mind I decided this would be my next read. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.

I should start by disclosing I was not keen on the main character, Darcy. For a large chunk of the book, the more I read about her the more I cringed at her character. She came off as self-centred, shallow, dense, needy, etc. The cherry on top was her disturbing moral compass. I couldn't get behind her numerous justification of her promiscuity and then her cheating on her fiance. It was painful to watch her life continue to fall apart through the choices she was making. I almost gave up on the book when I saw that she wasn't one bit different even after taking a "temporary" sabbatical in London.

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***PLOT & SPOILER ALERT***

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Darcy's early days in London was almost as bad as the beginning of the book. It was clear she was stuck in her old ways trying to manipulate her childhood friend, Ethan, to her benefit. I remember thinking, "He needs to tell her she's the problem! Someone needs to tell her!" Which was why I felt like a load was lifted off my chest when Ethan finally told her straight out that she was the reason behind the rifts between her and her closest relationships.

For the next few chapters, Darcy goes through an abrupt 180 degrees change of character. I remember thinking her sudden changes would not be sustained and she would revert back to her shallow life. To my surprise, her deep-rooted love for Ethan kept her in check as she worked to improve herself.

In hindsight, it was beautiful to read and watch Darcy and Ethan's relationship blossom. Admittedly the entire story and plot unfolded were touching enough to make me tear up at their "happily ever after." I can see now that if two people are incompatible, then it's only a matter of time before someone unintentionally hurts the other party unless they quickly forego the relationship. Like an elastic band, the longer they linger on to the familiarity the harder it'll snap them back to reality when the time comes for life to collect what is due.

The more we point our finger at others for our circumstances the more we drift from others who are trying to help us through our time of need. Sometimes all we need to do is take a good look at ourselves and ask ourselves what we could do now to make things better for ourselves. We cannot control other people's behaviours but we can control our behaviour. Forgiveness is one of the lessons of the book and rightfully illustrated as two best friends learn to accept what has already happened (that did not happen out of malice) and let go of the burden that was anchoring them down. It's unclear whether they'll be able to resume the cohesiveness that used to bind them but we get a breath of relief seeing them celebrating each other's milestones from afar. It goes to show you don't need to see and talk to the people you love every day to wholeheartedly and unconditionally appreciate them.

The only thing I wish was better was the character development. Darcy's sudden and very sustainable change didn't sit well with me. I can't pinpoint exactly why it felt off but it didn't seem likely that someone who has been as self-centred as Darcy for 30 years could suddenly have a completely refined theory of mind and an enormous sense of empathy. She went from being this annoying, despicable person to literally the perfect self-aware woman with essentially no flaws. Maybe her old life was traumatizing enough that she completely adopted a polar opposite persona of her former self. Maybe motherhood softened her a little. Maybe having a brutally honest friend to support her in her time of need reoriented her moral compass. Either way, the stars aligned and she became the type of person many of us strive to become.

Nonetheless, this book lived up to my expectation of a "feel-good" story. After finishing the book, I realized that this was the sequel to the first book called Something Borrowed! Apparently, there is a movie adaption of the first book as well. I tried to see if there was a movie out for Something Blue but based on my brief research, it looks like the project fell through and there hasn't been any mention of it for at least a couple of years. Thankfully, if I get curious enough, I still have Something Borrowed book and move to venture through.

In short, I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone looking for something light and easy to read.

Recommended: YES.