Jenny Offill’s writing in Weather leaves a lasting impact, lingering in your mind well after you finish reading. She presents her narrative in short snippets, capturing ordinary moments and profound experiences in succinct lines. Rather than feeling disjointed, her approach builds up a profound sense of awareness and insight.
The structure of Offill’s work mirrors the scattered nature of thoughts in the modern digital age, where every thought can lead down paths of information and connections. For instance, in a scene where Lizzie tends to her niece, Iris, she recalls a story about protection from the elements shared by the Buddha.
Lizzie, once a promising graduate student, now works in a university library, grappling with the realities of middle age and personal challenges. She is deeply empathetic, someone whom others confide in. Her relationship with her brother, a recovering addict, is complicated, and she navigates uncertainties about her parenting and marriage to Ben while living with their son in Brooklyn.
Through Lizzie’s flaws and empathy, readers are drawn into a narrative that explores how a perceptive underachiever copes with personal and societal crises. The novel alludes to concepts like “preppers,” deep ecology, and the 2016 election. Lizzie takes on the role of an assistant to her former mentor Sylvia, who hosts a podcast on climate change. Sylvia’s bleak perspective challenges Lizzie’s hopes of ensuring her loved ones’ safety in a changing world.
Offill demonstrates her narrative prowess with Dept. of Speculation (2014), a fragmented tale of a writer navigating motherhood and marriage. In Weather, she solidifies her unique style, infusing each fragment with emotion and wit. From describing her brother’s wedding to contemplating her mortality during a frantic bus chase, Lizzie’s reflections offer glimpses of profound self-awareness.
Offill’s characters are sketched with remarkable depth in just a few lines. She captures the essence of middle-aged insecurities in a poignant portrayal of a woman adjusting to new uncertainties. Despite its concise length, Weather invites readers to savor its complexities and themes for an extended period, resonating with various audiences in different ways.
For readers like myself, who share a generational connection with Lizzie and Offill, Weather serves as a reflection on middle age in the digital era. However, its insightful examination of complex relationships and the emotional toll of environmental and political upheaval offers universal appeal, making it a compelling read for a diverse audience.
