Illustrator Eleanor Flood was planning to have a good day, starting with a session with her poetry tutor. But things go awry when her precocious son, Timby, pretends to be sick at school and she discovers her hand surgeon husband, Joe, has told his work that he is on leave, which is totally news to her. She also gets an unwelcome reminder about her estranged sister Ivy. Semple has written another quirky character in Eleanor, but her disjointed story didn’t appeal to me. Others may love the inclusion of the poem, the graphic novel but these elements left me wondering if I should bother finishing the book. Told over the course of a day, the storyline about Eleanor’s past relationship with her sister and the mystery about how Joe is spending his days kept me going but by the end, I realised I wouldn’t have missed out if I had stopped midway. This might be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books.
Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple, is about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood. The summary says: "Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action - life happens.
Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office - but not Eleanor - that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret." Today Will Be Different is out in October 2016.