I finally finished Mary Robison's "Why Did I Ever" the other night and although I know there are probably a lot of people who would have trouble with this book and the way its written (very spare, diary-style entries - although it's not really a diary per se, more like the capturing of thoughts), I just have to once again recommend putting it high up on your reading list.

The book follows a divorced screenwriter named Money Breton (and normally I hate cutesy literary nicknames like that, but it really works here) who suffers from ADD and is trying to keep not just her basic day-today life together but her career and family as well. I won't give away too much more because part of the emotional genius of this book is the way that Robison reveals her story.

Throughout, the main character is somewhat of an unreliable narratator; there were times I actually questioned the existence of particular characters, wondering if they were real or were simply a part of Money's ADD-addled imagination. Instead of distracting or confusing me, however, this quality gives the book much of its dark, seething humor and a lovely trainwreck effect.

Also, how can you not love a book where the main character talks to herself like this:

I say, "I'd be happy in this room if I had a dust mop."
"No," I say with a sigh, "that is not true. It wouldn't end there."

I had to read the final pages twice - first for the immediate, emotional, impact and then again to sift through what had happened. Indeed, I think I'm going to have to read this entire book over again to really see what happens. For such a taut, economically-worded story this novel is wonderfully multi-layered and complex.

I just ordered Robison's collection "Tell Me: 30 Stories" and am really eager to see how her narrative style works in that genre.