Weekend Writing: Reviewing Judy Blume's "In the Unlikely Event"

"Life is a series of unlikely events, isn't it? Hers certainly is. One unlikely event after another, adding up to a rich, complicated whole. And who knows what's still to come?" - Judy Blume, "In the Unlikely Event" 

Every now and then, you find a book that moves you in a way you crave as a reader. The writing is beautiful; the story is equally captivating; the characters are your friends; and, you never want the book to end.

Judy Blume (photo/barnesandnoble.com).

Most recently, Judy Blume's In the Unlikely Event has been this book for me. The book tells the story of a cluster of characters closely related to each other in 1951-52 in Blume's hometown, Elizabeth, New Jersey. At the center of the story is Miri Ammerman, a 15-year-old Jewish girl whose life--and the entire Elizabeth community--is derailed by three consecutive airplane crashes that went down in the city within eight weeks of each other.

Each plane crash has a tie to someone in the community, including Ben Sapphire, whose wife died in the first crash; Natalie Osner, Miri's best friend who believes a spirit of a young dancer in the first crash has now entered her body; Steve Osner, Natalie's older brother, whose girlfriend died in the second crash; and, Mason McKittrick, Miri's boyfriend who saved a stewardess from the third crash. Everyone in the community is connected to these crashes and finds comfort through each other, and that's what makes this book so fascinating to read.

A historic photograph of a plane crash in Elizabeth, New Jersey
(photo/NY Daily News).

The community struggles to find a good reason why these crashes happened in Elizabeth, New Jersey. "Why our city? Why us? Why now?" Could it mean something that the three crashes narrowly missed the public schools? Was it Communists? Aliens? Sabotage from some unknown source? Was it the fault of Newark Airport?

A common question becomes "the talk of the town" in Elizabeth: "Where were you when you heard the news? What were you doing?" But, another question seems to be more important to Blume, which she focuses on in the story: How have the crashes changed you?

Natalie transforms, physically and mentally becoming the personality of Ruby Granik. Steve loses the first girl he was falling in love with and this consumes his life, resulting in him turning away from his family and responsibilities. Ben looks for comfort in Miri's grandmother, Irene. Miri's uncle, Henry, is a reporter for the local paper, and he writes detailed articles about each crash and the lives affected.

But, life goes on, doesn't it? New bonds form. Miri meets the father she never knew. One girl, Christina Demetrious, must keep her relationship with Jack McKittrick, Mason's older brother, a secret from her parents, who would never allow her to date someone who isn't Greek. Miri and Christina become unlikely friends as Natalie turns away from Miri. In addition, Miri's homelife changes in ways you won't even imagine--a final plot twist in the story that made me gasp in surprise.

Judy Blume (photo/archives.sfweekly.com)

Throughout it all, Blume's detailed descriptions about events and the characters in the book make this book feel real. Told in short chapters and newspaper clippings, Blume wrote a book about a real-life situation, but through the perspective of fictional individuals. Miri Ammerman wasn't a real person in 1951. She didn't witness the crashes. No one in the story is real, but the situation was very real. Readers can only imagine as they're reading the book that this is what really happened. You could substitute Miri for a factual teenager from Elizabeth. We can imagine how citizens of the community evolved from the crashes and how they ultimately made sense of the situation.

I became so attached to these characters. Everyone feels like family. When Ruby Granik stepped into the first plane, I knew she wasn't going to make it to her destination. When Steve's girlfriend, Kathy Stein, walked into the second plane to return home for winter break, she was so excited to see Steve. I knew she wasn't going to make it. But, I wanted them to be okay. I said to myself, "Oh, no. Not Kathy. Oh, no."

But, it had to happen. Sometimes characters die and we have to see how those deaths affect the other characters in the story. These crashes affected everyone. No one walked away from the crashes as the same character. Throughout the book, divided into four parts, the characters changed, learned, and loved in more ways in one year than most individuals change throughout their whole lives.

I loved everything about this book. Blume nailed all of the 1950's details (which I loved because the 1950s is my favorite time period). From the refinished basements with wet bars and knotty-pined walls to the Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, and mentions of Nat King Cole and Lauren Bacall. From references to the Korean War, women hosting parties to sell jewelry (which would soon be replaced by the very popular Tupperware parties), separate sex schools, and the rise of the suburbs...everything about this book just felt so right. It felt like it was a nonfiction book rather than a fiction story.

Perhaps that's what makes Judy Blume who she is: a phenomenal storyteller. Unlikely events happen in life. But, these events make us who we are. We are all passengers in life, Blume suggests. Fasten our seatbelts and get ready for the ride.

Read this book. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time. For someone who reads more books than I can count, isn't that saying something?

Read on.

-KJL-

(photo/Bookswept)