Who Will Run The Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore
"In a Paris bistro, Berie Carr, a middle-aged American woman, sits across from her husband, whom she realizes she no longer loves. Her thoughts return to a small town in upstate New York, to a time when life was as thrilling as it was ordinary, as sweet as it was bitter.What she remembers most, though, is a deep friendship she shared with a captivating girl named Sils - Sils who was always a little older, a little faster..." (Cover blurb on book)
Who Will Run The Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore was loaned to me by a professor I had during Winter Semester. I feel my reading experience was impacted by the amount of notes in the margins and the sticky notes tagging many of the pages, but even without the temptation to think further into this, I found this book to be thought provoking. (In fact, I went so far as to write an essay on it... except it wasn't required and I didn't submit it).
The main character, as is stated in the summary, is actually a middle-aged woman looking back on her teenage years. For that reason, I am unsure of how to classify this, but I think this would fall under the category of coming-of-age fiction. On a surface level, I think that's what it is, but I also feel that it goes much deeper than just coming-of-age or the teenage years.
As Berie looks back, we see her and Sils engaging in many typical (although, I hesitate to use that terminology) teen behaviors - dropping into bars with fake ids, dating, drinking, etc. However, what we're really seeing isn't Berie and Sils together, it's Berrie in comparison to Sils. Sils is prettier. Sils is a little older. Sils hit puberty first, while Berie was a late bloomer. Sils and Berie worked in the local theme park, but Sils was Cinderella and Berie was a cashier dressed in a non-becoming costume.
In short, this book looks at self-esteem, the longing to be in the spotlight, the habit of placing others on pedestals, feelings of rejection, and social maladjustment. And, even if the reader was never any semblance of these characters, I feel that this is a book most everyone can relate to on some level.
And, if you can't, then just enjoy it for the wording and the craft itself. The story feels a bit disjointed at times, but I think that was intentional and it was a detail that I think added a lot to the story.
This book is a quick read, but it is hardly a light one.
While I was reading it, the book was droll, bitter, hopeful, and melancholy. Many times throughout the novella, I caught myself smiling at details and twists of humor. I also kept a notebook beside me, taking down some particularly poignant lines that I liked.
On the overall, though, I honestly found the book to be quite disturbing. It left me depressed for couple of weeks and, thinking back on it, the same feelings return with just as much strength. This is, probably for obvious reasons, not a book I can see myself reading twice. But I am impressed that it has stuck with me so well, and in such a distinct way.
I think I can safely recommend this without going back on my feelings about it later.
This book can be found in bookstores and online:
Happy reading! (Well... sort of.)
