finished reading

I've read a few novels by this author but somehow missed this one.  Its quirky characters are believable, relatable, and endearing.  I keep thinking of the word comeback and "snappy retort" was one of the first things that popped into my head.  Then I considered how snappy retorts sometimes come to me after needed, leaving me feeling tongue-tied at the moment.  And I thought of a comeback as "a return, " which also applies to the plot.  Getting lost in the word comeback is an example of how this book made me think.  It's a simple yet complex premise: events from childhood shape us in adulthood. 

From the publisher:

Caroline Jacobs is a wimp, someone who specializes in the suffering of tiny indignities in silence. And the big ones, too. But when the twinset-wearing president of the local Parent Teacher Organization steps out of line one too many times, Caroline musters the courage to assert herself. With a four-letter word, no less.

Caroline's outburst has awakened something in her. Not just gumption, but a realization that the roots of her tirade can be traced back to something that happened to her as a teenager, when her best friend very publicly betrayed her. So, with a little bit of bravery, Caroline decides to go back to her home town and tell off her childhood friend. She busts her daughter out of school, and the two set off to deliver the perfect comeback...some twenty-five years later. But nothing goes as planned. Long buried secrets rise to the surface, and Caroline finds she has to face much more than one old, bad best friend.

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs is an enchanting novel about the ways in which our childhood experiences reverberate through our lives. It's the story of a woman looking to fix her life through an act of bravery, and of a mother and daughter learning to understand one another. Deceptively simple and highly engaging, this latest novel by Matthew Dicks is perfect for those of us who were last to be picked at sports, and for everyone who is thrilled not to be in high school any more.

#52bookclub prompt 14: a grieving character.