Author: Jennifer Close
Started: January 1, 2019
Finished: January 6, 2019
Pages: 303
Genre: Fiction
First Sentence: This is what people talk about at an Obama campaign reunion.
Summary: [From BN] A New York newlywed, Beth was supportive when her husband, Matt, decided to follow his political dreams all the way to Washington. Yet soon after they move to D.C., Beth realizes that she hates everything about it: the traffic circles, the ubiquitous Ann Taylor suits, the humidity that descends each summer, and, most of all, the lonely dinner parties where anyone who doesn’t work in politics is politely ignored. Things start to change when the couple meets a charismatic White House staffer named Jimmy and his wife, Ashleigh. The four become inseparable, coordinating brunches, birthdays, and long weekends away. But as Jimmy’s star rises higher and higher, the couples’ friendship—and Beth’s relationship with Matt—is threatened by jealousy, competition, and rumors.
Thoughts: There are two reasons I enjoyed this book. The first, is very personal. The Hopefuls, for about half the book, takes place in DC not far from where I live. Close gets the area so right that I felt like I was walking around with friends. All the restaurants are right, the grocery stores, the way certain places feel, they conversations with groups go - it's all right. It's so right that it gave me flashbacks to the my earlier days as a Capitol Hill intern. *shudder* So, I have to hand it to Close her take on DC as a city, a people, and a place of work is spot on.
The other reason I enjoyed this book is that Close gets marriage right. It's about balance and give and take, and that doesn't always work out. Her characters are neither wholly selfish nor wholly giving. Beth and Matt are complete individuals who both want certain things out of life and work and that causes drama and strain. It also gives the leads a chance to support one another. When Ashleigh and Jimmy are involved, those issues are only compounded.
At its core, this book is about relationships. How does a married couple relate to each other and others in their lives? How do individual choices impact others? When is a struggle temporary and when does it cause lasting problems? These are all the threads at issue in this book and Close does a wonderful job of weaving these core issues in with her political plot. By the end of the book, you neither love nor hate the characters (even when you really want to hate them). Instead, you relate to them.
Rating: 7/10 [Very Good]
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