You Could Do Better

As mentioned in this post, author Stephanie Lehmann mailed me a copy of her fourth novel, You Could Do Better. This seemingly lightweight novel performs double duty by both entertaining while exploring deep issues such as sex, guilt, and death. The plot revolves around Daphne Wells, a museum curator at Museum of Television and Radio in NYC, who is firmly entrenched in a lackluster relationship and escapes reality through an obsession with television. The author explores the common issue of settling for the wrong mate out of fear of ending up alone forever.

This isn’t just pure chick lit for the sake of it but rather a very readable decade by decade history of television as a reflection of U.S. culture. The author takes us through the domesticoms of the 1950s that were a lesson in white, middle-class, well-behaved morals. Thse were followed by the gimmickons of the 1960s that served as pure escapism from everyday life and the conflicted politics of the era. Advancing through the 1970s, readers learn that sitcoms became more multidimensional through ensemble acting, provacative humour, and realistic characters. In the 1980s, technology ruled television audiences and the programming of the shows themselves. Finally, the 1990s sitcoms found skeptical audiences who didn’t buy the happy endings of former television fare. Audiences no longer watched just for entertainment but also to critique the programs as a reflection of society.

Through the novel’s advancement, Daphne’s character development matches the progression of television eras. Daphne realizes that her resistance to change is a mere to avoid taking chances, and if she doesn’t wake up to reality, she’ll end up in an unhappy marriage. The comfort zone of relationships, jobs, and almost every other aspect of life can ultimately make us all unhappy by staying out of fear of change. Despite a relatively slow beginning, the second half of the novel really drew me into the protagonist’s dilemma, and after the conflict and resolution phases, I found myself wanting to know what came next in the characters’ lives. You Could Do Better is a recommended read for anyone looking for an offbeat variation on the usual chick lit themes.