Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2012) by Maria Semple. The Bernadette of the title is Bernadette Fox, a once-famous architect who now lives with her husband and daughter in Seattle. She seems half-crazed throughout most of this novel, and pulls off a disappearing act in the second half that has her husband and daughter puzzled. It's all explained in the end, but the explanation is quite circuitous. The book is told mostly in epistolary form, but the form works OK for the most part, and contributes to the funniness of the novel. Did I mention that it's funny? This is one of the most amusing books I've read in quite a while, and the characters are vividly drawn and piquant. Plus, it's an easy read. Pretty good, huh? Grade: B+