I’ve written enough about Reese’s Book Club (and read enough of her favorites myself) to spot when a title would make an excellent selection to go with Reese’s highly-recommended rom-coms, thrillers and TV-ready picks. One such book? I’ll Come to You, a beautiful new novel by Rebecca Kauffman (The Gunners).
A sweeping family story set over the course of a year (1995), I’ll Come to You reminds me a bit of Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake and This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. Among the family members here are a couple expecting a baby after having fertility struggles, a woman reeling after a divorce from her husband of many decades and a man grappling with his own cognitive decline. I know how those things sounds (sad), but there are also many moments of joy. I found myself grinning from ear to ear, for example, as Kauffman described the pride one character feels at a celebration after 35 years of service at her school bus driving job.
While there isn’t actually that much happening by way of plot (this is definitely one of those quietly understated novels), the beauty is in Kauffman’s skill at creating characters that feel real and recognizable, from a woman hanging on by a thread trying to keep up appearances to a desperate divorced dad that attempts to save a career day presentation by giving elementary aged kids money.
As for why it would make a great book club selection: In addition to being an expertly written character study, there are so many family dynamics on display, many of which feel familiar and all of which are worthy of discussion. Your neighbor whose brother is floundering? She’ll get it. Your college bestie who’s always had a, well, difficult relationship with her mother? Yep, there’s something for her too. It also clocks in at just 224 pages, making it a reasonable commitment—though you’ll likely wish it was longer.
