Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta

From the publisher: Eve Fletcher is trying to figure out what comes next. A forty-six-year-old divorcee whose beloved only child has just left for college, Eve is struggling to adjust to her empty nest when one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, “U R my MILF!” Over the months that follow, that message comes to obsess Eve. While leading her all-too-placid life—serving as Executive Director of the local senior center by day and taking a community college course on Gender and Society at night—Eve can’t curtail her own interest in a porn website called MILFateria.com, which features the erotic exploits of ordinary, middle-aged women like herself. Before long, Eve’s online fixations begin to spill over into real life, revealing new romantic possibilities that threaten to upend her quiet suburban existence.

Meanwhile, miles away at the state college, Eve’s son Brendan—a jock and aspiring frat boy—discovers that his new campus isn’t nearly as welcoming to his hard-partying lifestyle as he had imagined. Only a few weeks into his freshman year, Brendan is floundering in a college environment that challenges his white-dude privilege and shames him for his outmoded, chauvinistic ideas of sex. As the New England autumn turns cold, both mother and son find themselves enmeshed in morally fraught situations that come to a head on one fateful November night.

My thoughts: Mrs. Fletcher is my first Perrotta book, and I'm not sure how I felt about it. Eve is struggling with her identity as a recent 'empty nester', and after getting the 'U R my MILF' text ends up on a porn site. I thought it was interesting how the text and site led her on such a sexual identity journey. There is definitely some satire in this novel, but it manages to be up to date on current social headlines. I thought there was a lot going on with Eve's character. Discovering your sexual identity is not a linear thing, but I think there was just too much going on. I also did not connect with her, and I know that's not important to some readers, but it is to me.

Brendan made me very angry. He was so privileged and spoiled and he had no idea. He did not treat women well, and once he's finally called out on it, he goes running back to his mom. I don't know if it's because I'm a mom to a son myself (mind you, he's one so not the same) but I was very frustrated by most of Brendan's behaviour and I found his chapters difficult to read.

In the end I rated this 3 out of 5 stars. It definitely wasn't horrible, and I liked the way it made me question some of my own ideas, but it wasn't my favourite. I was a fan of the side characters more than the two Fletchers, and wanted more of their stories.

Good read, but not my favourite.

I received a copy of this book for free from Simon and Schuster Canada, but as always, opinions are my own.