Reading, Drinking and Dancing with a Chaser of Snark

Book Review – “Searching For Moore,” by Julie A. Richman

Link Posted on June 11, 2013 Updated on August 25, 2013

My Mazel of the day goes to Julie Richman, for tearing my heart out to Bruce Springsteen, the soundtrack of my youth.    I have some beautiful Mazel Shot Glasses from Andy Cohen’s Bravo Clubhouse, just for you, Missy.

I will start by publicly flogging myself for thinking this was a “New Adult” novel, featuring a bunch of entitled, horny, self-centered, shiftless college students.   It is not.   I will further admit that I purchased it on sale, thinking it was a New Adult novel, featuring a bunch of entitled, horny, self-centered, shiftless college students.    Therefore, my Catholic girl penance is that I am writing this post at 4:45 a.m. ET, after staying up all night long to finish reading Searching for Moore   Enough said.

Ok,  I took a couple of cat naps last night and work from home.  Don’t feel too badly for me.

Holy debut novel, Batman.

I mean, HOLY.  FUCKING.  DEBUT.  NOVEL.

The premise is simple:  what if you were only one Facebook friend request away from your true love – that one person who knew you better than you knew yourself – 24 years after you last saw each other?  Would you reconnect with her/him, even if it meant uprooting the life you had been creating for yourself?  If you were given that chance, would you take it?

Searching for Moore begins in the present day.  Schooner Moore’s wife, CJ, is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his 43rd birthday.   It is filled with “the beautiful people,” superficial individuals who only wish to be seen at this party to rub elbows with the rich and famous.  Schooner Moore is both.  What CJ and her “guests” fail to realize, however, is that Schooner dislikes the shallow displays of artifice that are his life and social circle.   Then, his college buddy, Beau, casually mentions that he has chatted with Mia Silver, a classmate from college, via Facebook.

As Schooner reminisces, we are transported back twenty-four years into the past.  He remembers their freshman year of college and the first taste of independence, of “finding himself,” meeting diverse people and learning about true love.   Schooner meets and is immediately attracted to CJ, the quintessential, beautiful prom queen.  They are the “perfect” All-American blonde couple, who would be featured in an ad for Ralph Lauren.  He also meets Mia Silver, antithesis to CJ, sassy New Yorker, attending school in California, who marches to the beat of her own drum.   CJ fits into his world, effortlessly, like a well-decorated room that lacks personality.  Mia challenges his mind, steals his heart and completes his soul.  Schooner and Mia are each other’s first true love.  Then, Mia leaves him, without a word.

We return to the present day and Schooner sends Mia an innocuous Facebook friend request.  A friend request that she is fated to accept.  The story continues as the veil of time is lifted, a lifetime of betrayal by CJ is exposed, and that first true love is renewed.

Ms. Richman writes Schooner so that the reader is able to see the “real” Schooner that Mia sees.  He has spent his life as a handsome shell, a chameleon who morphs into whomever he is expected to be.   He has been incredibly successful in business, but we know he is so much more.  Conversely, Mia is a ray of sunlight, warm, ebullient, full of life and loyal.  She is successful, loved and will bring balance back into Schooner’s life.  Unfortunately, not everyone is pleased with this reunion, especially CJ and Zac (CJ and Schooner’s son – who inherited his personality from CJ).

We live a lifetime through their story. There is the angst of first heart break, the ambivalence and acceptance of life’s circumstances, and the joy and hope for renewed, healing love.  Then, Ms. Richman ends this rollercoaster ride of emotions with a cliffhanger the reader sees building from the middle of the story, but is incapable to stop.   Searching for Moore is funny and quirky, profound, poignant and moving – all at the same time.   It is the best book I have read about aging Generation-Xers, this year.

Exceptional debut for Ms. Richman!  I need the second book NOW!!

The “cleaned up” versions of this review are on Amazon and Goodreads.