Book Review: “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything – A Novel By Janelle Brown

The book has 401 pages and was published by Spiegel & Grau.  It is Janelle Brown’s first novel.  This book is about three women who only ever wanted everything – money, status, popularity, being the best.

Janice is the mother and wife who has devoted her life to her family.  Her husband is a successful executive in a company that is going public.  Janice has devoted her whole life to her family and the success of her husband.   However, on the day the stock goes public and the family finances would increase substantially, Janice discovers that her husband is filing for divorce.  To make matters worse, he is leaving her for her best friend and tennis partner.  During the summer Janice hides her pain by experimenting and becoming addicted to Crack.

Margaret is Janice’s oldest daughter.  She has been living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and is the publisher of a feminist magazine called Snatch. Margaret believes that her magazine is very successful and hoping for the sale of the magazine to help with her finances.  However, Margaret is dumped by her boyfriend when he makes it as a Hollywood star. To make matters worse, the sale of her magazine falls through.  She goes home to hide from her creditors and to try to find a solution to her money problems.

Lizzie is fourteen years old and  on the swim team.  She has struggled with acceptance from her girl friends and wants to liked by her peers.  Lizzie has sex with several of her male classmates.  She believes that she has gotten what she has always wanted – acceptance by her peers.   Much to Lizzie’s horror, she discovers that her name is written on the bathroom wall and she really is the school slut.

All summer long these three women live in the same house but are unaware of the struggles and sorrows that each are facing.  Fortunately, as the summer ends each become aware of the others “problem”.  Because of this, they become somewhat closer to each other.

This book made me sad for these three women.  They could not confide in each other about their hurts and failures.  It makes me sad when family cannot confide in each other because they are afraid of being judged as lacking.