Quirky characters thrive in 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette'

A woman who abandons her family is easy to hate. But in Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple creates a character so complex and hilarious, it's difficult to arrive at that conclusion.

Semple tells the story of Bernadette's family — her daughter Bee and husband Elgin — from different points of view as they prepare for a trip to Antarctica. Telling the story from various perspectives via letters and faxes between the characters, Semple creates a brilliant way of keeping the plotline focused, the who-what-and-when clear.

Bernadette is a people-phobic, flighty architectural genius who has designed only one house. Bee is an eerily intelligent middle-schooler whose early childhood was touch-and-go due to heart problems, and Elgin Branch is a nerdy, successful inventor at Microsoft who works long office hours.

Audrey is the quintessential overly peppy, suspicious neighbor obsessed with hating Bernadette. As ridiculous and irritating as her character is (Bernadette calls her a "gnat"), she proves that even the antagonist isn't all that bad.

Then there's Soo-Lin, the lonely Microsoft admin with little to no self-awareness, fresh off a divorce and in love with Elgin. Although the story stumbles a bit after Bernadette disappears, the novel is a fun read.

The correspondence between Bernadette and Manjula, an online travel agent Bernadette tells all of her deepest secrets to — and orders the most random things from, such as Haldol and fishing vests — is one of the highlights. Bernadette even asks Manjula to make dinner reservations for her and her family. Manjula, as it turns out, is really a Russian mobster.

Semple paints each character with depth and tenderness while keeping the tone upbeat; no easy feat for a novel about a mother who pulls a disappearing act.