The Gap Year [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Sarah Bird (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 5, 2011

From the widely praised author of The Yokota Officers Club and The Flamenco Academy, a novel as hilarious as it is heartbreaking about a single mom and her seventeen-year-old daughter learning how to let go in that precarious moment before college empties the nest.

In The Gap Year, told with perfect pitch from both points of view, we meet Cam Lightsey, lactation consultant extraordinaire, a divorcée still secretly carrying a torch for the ex who dumped her, a suburban misfit who’s given up her rebel dreams so her only child can get a good education.

We also learn the secrets of Aubrey Lightsey, tired of being the dutiful, grade-grubbing band geek, ready to explode from wanting her “real” life to begin, trying to figure out love with boys weaned on Internet porn.

When Aubrey meets Tyler Moldenhauer, football idol–sex god with a dangerous past, the fuse is lit. Late-bloomer Aubrey metastasizes into Cam’s worst silent, sullen teen nightmare, a girl with zero interest in college. Worse, on the sly Aubrey’s in touch with her father, who left when she was two to join a celebrity-ridden nutball cult.

As the novel unfolds—with humor, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and penetrating insights about love in the twenty-first century—the dreams of daughter, mother, and father chart an inevitable, but perhaps not fatal, collision . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A smart, witty take on one of the classic milestones of parenting . . . Full of insight, acceptance and, above all, love.”
—Sharyn Vane, Austin American-Statesman
 
“While pacifying us with gut-bucket humor, the wicked writer makes us think! At its big, wide-open heart, The Gap Year is about self-discovery, about finding and making your own way in the world, a process that, apparently, continues until we die.”—Steve Bennett, San Antonio Express
 
“Humorous and lively . . . A perceptive if lighthearted depiction of the process of separation from the points of view of a mother and daughter.” —Margaret Quamme, The Columbus Dispatch
 
“Bird’s wit shines through on every page—she’s the kind of author readers all wish they could spend an hour kvetching with over margaritas—but she also has a real knack for eavesdropping on her characters’ inner lives.” —Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News
 
 “A soulful portrait of that awkward, exhilarating and bittersweet point in a mother’s relationship with her child—the time to let go.” —Roberta MacInnins, Houston Chronicle
 
“At times funny, at times heartbreaking, this is fine fiction at its best.” —Ann La Farge, Hudson Valley News
 
“The Gap Year is satire with heart . . . In this smart novel, love trumps the past and the expected future.” —Jeffrey Ann Goudie, The Kansas City Star 
 
 “Sarah Bird’s latest novel, The Gap Year, is a must-read for anyone who loves mother-daughter stories. . . . It becomes nearly impossible to put down once broiling tensions come to a nice simmer.”   —Kelly Blewett, Book Page
 
“A compelling read [that] builds to a satisfying and surprisingly tender conclusion. The Gap Year is sure to please Bird’s fans and readers struggling with their own mother-daughter issues.”—Amy Watts, Library Journal
 
“Told from alternating points-of-view, Bird’s handling of the familiar parent-teen clash of wills is accomplished with memorable, memorably realistic poignancy.” —Booklist
 
“The Gap Year, haunting and laugh-out-loud funny, speaks to a mother’s soul.  On every luminous page, I’m reminded how being a mother is like being a contortionist: we latch on even as we let go.  Cam contemplates her daughter:  ‘Certain and human, such a hard mix.’   This is a page-turner of a book for every mother who ever worried she wasn’t up to the hard parts—gracefully accepting the you-never-understood-me complaints our children make; rising above the condescension of smug, over-achieving mothers; accepting our own self-doubt as we measure ourselves against impossible ideals.  Cam’s dilemma will feel like your dilemma from the moment you begin reading.”  —Debra Monroe, award-winning author of On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain
  
“Told from both Cam’s and Aubrey’s perspectives, the narrative teases out the ever-deepening mysteries of parents and children as they grow up and apart. Bird’s breezy style and spot-on observations of contemporary family life give this headlong story a fizzy energy that carries through to the unexpected conclusion.” —Publishers Weekly
 
"Writing so sharp, smart, funny, and addictive, it’s as if Molly Ivins had given birth to a novelist daughter." —Z.Z. Packer
 
“Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, The Gap Year is a pitch-perfect portrayal of a mother and teenage daughter on the precipice of seismic change. Everyone is given full rein in this snappy, deliciously vicious, modern spin on growing up, growing old, and letting go. Bird's timing is impeccable." —Cristina Garcia
  

About the Author

Sarah Bird is the author of seven previous novels. She is a columnist for Texas Monthly and has contributed to many other magazines including O, The Oprah Magazine; The New York Times Magazine; Real Simple; and Good Housekeeping. Sarah, the 2010 Johnston Dobie Paisano Fellow, makes her empty nest in Austin, Texas.

www.sarahbirdbooks.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307592790
• ISBN-13: 978-0307592798
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Outtakes from an interview that appeared in the April 2011 issue of Southern Living...

Southern Living: Are there any personal connections to this novel that you'd like to share?

Sarah: Oh, gads, there are SO many. I'll try, (and no doubt fail), to keep it brief.

In 2008, our son became a member of the largest college freshman class in history. Everything about the experience surprised me. Let's just start off with the cost. I knew that college costs had skyrocketed so we'd put aside a small fortune. We learned, however, that small wasn't going to cut it. Instead, a great walloping fortune would be required.

The next shock was discovering that in order to even be allowed to spend these breathtaking sums I would have to take on a second job as a ratings coordinator. There are over four thousand colleges and universities in this country and each one had to be parsed because, as it turns out, the college your child goes to is, essentially, a referendum on you as a parent. Are you a five-star Ivy League parent? A small, selective liberal arts college parent? A giant, state university parent? A two-year community college parent? Being a no-college parent was so far beyond the pale that it wasn't even ever mentioned.

So the getting in part surprised me. But what surprised me even more was what happened after when the empty nest loomed as a reality. I was bereft. Completely blindsided by how much it affected me.
While pregnant eighteen years earlier, I had devoured every "What to Expect " book out there. As we slogged through this college experience, I wished for a whole new slew of guides to help me through this unsettling phase. For example, was it normal to both ardently pray for the day when this grumpy stranger you've raised would vacate the premises and burst into tears in the frozen food aisle because you'll never buy pepperoni Hot Pockets again? And Real Estate Regret? Is Real Estate Regret--the constant replaying of the different lives your child would have had if you'd lived in a different neighborhood, went to a different school, had different friends--normal?

Time Travel, I knew that Time Travel wasn't normal, yet, as we approached the date of our son's departure, I was swept uncontrollably off on journeys back through the years where I'd revisit key moments in the past. Then, like Real Estate Regret, I'd create an entirely different childhood for my son in which, for example, we'd never allowed videogames. Or had been active in the Methodist church. Or the Buddhist temple. Or had owned a telescope and pursued astronomy as a family hobby. Or raised chickens. Or all made our beds every morning.

Obviously, I needed, probably still need, intensive therapy. Instead, I wrote "The Gap Year."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah Bird Always Delivers! June 2, 2011

By Marion VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

After I discovered Ms. Bird's novels several years ago, I went to the library and checked out every book she's written. I love them all and re-read them often. She's an ace writer and storyteller. I was overjoyed to get an advance reader's copy of this newest book!!

"The Gap Year" is a fast, heartfelt read. Cam, a lactation consultant, helps women through their first, insecure days of breast-feeding and motherhood, and though single mother Cam (her husband ran off long ago to join a cult) has always been secure in her relationship with her only daughter, Aubrey, a clarinetist in the high school band, their bond begins to disintergrate in Aubrey's senior year when she ditches the band for Tyler Moldenhauer, the school quarterback who rescues her from a bout with heatstroke. Cam's horror at the sudden changes in her daughter are palpable. The sub-plot with Cam's ex-husband only adds intrigue to this great story.

Two days before Aubrey is due to leave for college, she disappears, and Cam has to face the possibility that all the dreams she had for Aubrey might not be realized. The story is told in turn from both Cam's and Aubrey's perspectives and delves deep into the mother/daughter relationship with wisdom and compassion. Ms. Bird is a master at recreating the ups and downs of family life and this is one of her best books to date. If you enjoyed Ms. Bird's other books, then you'll love this one, too. A compelling, good read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good summer read June 15, 2011

By K. Blaine VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Just in time for beach season comes Sarah Bird's "The Gap Year," a novel tracing the relationship between a mother and daughter during the latter's final year of high school. All the characters in this book are likable: Cam, the young late-boomer mom, and Dori, her aging hippie friend; Aubrey, the uncertain and insecure daughter; Tyler, the new jock boyfriend; Twyla, Dori's daughter and Aubrey's ex-best childhood friend who appears only in memory until well into the last half of the novel; and even Martin, the absent-for-sixteen years dad, whose appearance (coupled with first romance with Tyler) changes the trajectory of Aubrey's life.

The novel shifts in point in view between Cam and Aubrey, and in time between the days just before Aubrey turns 18, and the previous year, at the start of Aubrey's senior year. I found some of the adult dialogue, especially at the beginning, to be somewhat strained, as if the adults were trying too hard to be cool. Aubrey's voice, on the other hand, was perfect, and the author shows a real understanding of late adolescence. I liked the shifts in point of view, though I know from book club discussions that this structure bothers some readers.

The title is superbly chosen, having multiple interpretations. Of course, the gap year is the year that some 18-year-olds take off between high school and college to decide just what direction they wish to pursue. But other gaps are every bit as important: the gap between Cam and Aubrey, between Aubrey and her father, between Cam's expectations for her daughter and Aubrey's own tentative wish for a different way, between the life Cam wanted and the one she actually has--the list goes on.

Mostly, the novel explores the gap between Cam and Aubrey, in a realistic but also good-humored way. Recalling her own conflicted feelings about her mother, Cam tries hard to be a different kind of mom to Aubrey. Inevitably, the mom we need is not always the mom we get, and our efforts to avoid the mistakes of the past create new mistakes--the law of unintended consequences. Still, this novel is not a tragedy. Things do not turn out as anyone expects, but in the end, life is good.

The audience for "The Gap Year" will be almost exclusively women, especially women with teenage daughters who can identify with Cam. This book is not "chick-lit," however; you need not be embarrassed to be seen reading it. While it is not Jane Austen, it is perfect for a summer afternoon on the porch.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mothers and daughters 101 September 20, 2011

By Beth E. Settje VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This story is about mothers and daughters understanding one another. It is also about individuals understanding themselves. Cam and Aubrey, mother and daughter respectively, are two against the world, or at least that is what Cam believes. Aubrey has her own perspective but does not know how to break it to her mother. Cam does know her daughter well, her moods, her thoughts, until Aubrey starts to break away in her senior year. Her feelings have been brewing and they simmer to boil as she finds her independence while also discovering a relationship. While Aubrey is figuring out her destiny, her mother is also figuring out what to do with her own life. The two are on two distinct paths that need to intersect without crashing. The journey to get to that point is deliberate and confusing though.

As a parent of an 8 year old daughter, this book kind of scared me. I thought the story was interesting enough and it held my attention. However getting a glimpse of what lay ahead was difficult. I know this book is a novel and therefore fiction; at the same time, it was pretty realistic to feelings that mothers and daughters experience. So I can anticipate those teenage years, which really are not that far away! Though my life situation is nothing like this story, I still believe the feelings of angst, fear, protectiveness, and hope are ones that transcend individual circumstances.

Not a light summer read yet not too deep or difficult. Probably good for a mother / daughter book club. I can imagine it opening up lines of communication too, within families, as they explore the topics addressed in the book.