Hildy Good could be any of a number of people I know. She might be what is called a hard living
person. She functions successfully in most
everything she does but has her demons that alternately confound her and give
her pleasure. As the story begins she is
in recovery, discharged from Hazelton after an intervention by her
daughters. She went into rehab so she
could be part of her daughters’ lives and more importantly, so she could spend
time with her grandson. However, the
call of the alcohol was not deafened.
She drank—but only at home and only by herself and only wine. She interacted with humans on a professional
basis, her children within limits and her dogs with pleasure. Then came Rebecca!
I have thought about Rebecca and why she is included in the story. She is a troubled soul herself, married but having an
affair with her psychiatrist (Peter), someone Hildy has known since her own childhood. What do these two have in common? Hildy wants
a friend and one that does not judge. Rebecca will not let others know she is
drinking because Rebecca does not want others knowing of her affair with Peter. I think Rebecca is Hildy’s alter ego. The more she drinks the crazier Rebecca
becomes. She is obsessed with Peter, like Hildy is obsessed with wine.
Hildy resumes a high school relationship with Frankie. Her own husband left her for another man and
she decided she would reconnect with Frankie.
Frankie represents everything she is not. He is salt of the earth—owns his own business. He is stable.
He cares about her and they can have fun together. He does not judge her when she drinks until
she gets really bad. He is a true friend
who took care of her crashed car and was trying to create a story that
protected her when Jake went missing—just in case she had killed the kid! Hildy was from a more respected family who
could trace her roots back to the Witch trials and who had the ability to see
things –although she did not claim to be clairvoyant. Her daughters think he looks like a gnome, she likes that he takes control. She went to the country
club, Frankie collected garbage.
When Jake Dwight disappeared I really thought she might have
hit him while she was out driving drunk.
In many ways it would have made sense. It would be her wakeup call that
she needed to stop drinking and do it today.
Instead, Jake was found by Rebecca who wasn’t even looking for him and
then took credit for finding him like she had meant to do that all along! Rebecca’s craziness led to the death of Peter
instead. He committed suicide and returned to Hildy in a dream or as a ghost. I
admit to wondering if she had hit him with the car!
I am pleased that she voluntarily checked herself back into
rehab. Drinking to the point of blacking
out and waking daily with a hangover headache does not seem a productive way to
live life. She was able to function but
it was becoming more difficult every day.
From her mother’s own mental illness to the relationship she had with
her own daughters Hildy seemed to be in a downward spiral into depression. Only she could make herself recover. No one could do that for her. She remained friends (without benefits, this
time) with Frankie and I hope continued to live a long, prosperous life in
Wendover. In an odd way, I found the
book to be uplifting due to the ending. She
was good at her job, able to “see” what others needed with housing, could contribute
to society and develop a lasting, strong relationship with her children and
proudly be Gammy to her grandson. I
guess she decided she too wanted MORE!
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