Have you ever read a book that is so well-written that it makes you absolutely angry that you don’t like it? That’s me with Daniel M. Lavery’s Meeting New People (HarperVIA 2026). He is such a talented writer – just so smart and so funny – but I couldn’t bring myself to like it. Why not? Because I hated Barbara. My feelings for this novel (and Barbara) reminded me quite a bit of Elizabeth Strout and her Lucy Barton. Strout is also a phenomenal writer, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about Lucy. I think Lucy and Barbara would be good friends – they are cut from such a similar cloth. I do not want spend any length of time with them.
Twice-divorced Barbara has recently been broken up with by her best friend, and she’s not sure why. This leads to her wondering about her prior friendships, and why she seems incapable of keeping a female friend. (She’s less concerned about keeping the husbands.) It’s well written and Lavery is a sharp storyteller, but I was so glad to reach the last page.
I will say, do not read this book on an empty stomach. There’s so much food, and it all sounds so good.
A Girl Named Tommi 