The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs: A Novel by Matthew Dicks

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs: A Novel by Matthew Dicks
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: September 8, 2015
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:
Caroline Jacobs is a wimp, someone who specializes in the suffering of tiny indignities in silence. And the big ones, too. But when the twinset wearing president of the local Parent Teacher Organization steps out of line one too many times, Caroline musters the courage to assert herself. With a four-letter word, no less.

Caroline’s outburst has awakened something in her. Not just gumption, but a realization that the roots of her tirade can be traced back to something that happened to her as a teenager, when her best friend very publicly betrayed her. So, with a little bit of bravery, Caroline decides to go back to her home town and tell off her childhood friend. She busts her daughter out of school, and the two set off to deliver the perfect comeback . . . some twenty-five years later. But nothing goes as planned. Long buried secrets rise to the surface, and Caroline finds she has to face much more than one old, bad best friend.

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs is an enchanting novel about the ways in which our childhood experiences reverberate through our lives. It’s the story of a woman looking to fix her life through an act of bravery, and of a mother and daughter learning to understand one another. Deceptively simple and highly engaging, this latest novel by Matthew Dicks is perfect for those of us who were last to be picked at sports, and for everyone who is thrilled not to be in high school any more.

Caroline Jacobs has finally had enough and yells the f-word at the PTO president during a meeting. Since Caroline is typically timid and basically a push-over, this is a very big deal. The next day, someone teases Caroline’s daughter Polly about it and ends up getting punched in the nose by Polly. Knowing that Polly will be suspended, Caroling takes her out of school and on a road trip to the town she grew up in. She’s decided that if she could stand up to the PTO president, then she can stand up to the girl who was mean to her in high school.

On the surface, the premise of this story is a tad unbelievable. How could someone still hold a grudge for so long over something that happened in high school? However, when I found out the deeper reason that Caroline couldn’t let it go, I understood. So just go with it until you get to that point, which is near the end. Polly and Caroline’s relationship is believable. Polly definitely has the teenage angst thing going for her. And of course she thinks she’s way smarter than her dear old mom. It was fun to see their relationship evolve on their road trip.

I think the story would have been more impactful if there were more flashbacks to Caroline and her sister Lucy when they were kids. If their relationship was developed more, then it would be a lot easier to sympathize with Caroline. The book weighs in at just over 200 pages so there would definitely room for this.

Dick’s novel Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is one of my favorite all time books. The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs was good on its own merits but didn’t have the originality of Memoirs so if you’ve read that, keep your expectations in check. If you want something light, quick and fun, then this is the book for you.
(I received a complementary review copy of this book.)