I received this for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder Published by Penguin on 2014-04-10
Pages: 304
Goodreads
Loyalty. Envy. Obligation. Dreams. Disappointment. Fear. Negligence. Coping. Elation. Lust. Nature. Freedom. Heartbreak. Insouciance. Audacity. Gluttony. Belief. God. Karma. Knowing what you want (there is probably a French word for it). Saying Yes. Destiny. Truth. Devotion. Forgiveness. Life. Happiness (ever after).
Hannah and Zoe haven’t had much in their lives, but they’ve always had each other. So when Zoe tells Hannah she needs to get out of their down-and-out New Jersey town, they pile into Hannah’s beat-up old Le Mans and head west, putting everything—their deadbeat parents, their disappointing love lives, their inevitable enrollment at community college—behind them. As they chase storms and make new friends, Zoe tells Hannah she wants more for her. She wants her to live bigger, dream grander, aim higher. And so Zoe begins teaching Hannah all about life’s intangible things, concepts sadly missing from her existence—things like audacity, insouciance, karma, and even happiness. An unforgettable read from the acclaimed author of The Probability of Miracles, The Museum of Intangible Things sparkles with the humor and heartbreak of true friendship and first love.
My Thoughts:
I need to read The Probability of Miracles STAT because this book shot Wendy Wunder to the top of my “authors to read more from” list! I don’t know what I was expecting from The Museum of Intangible Things but I know I got more… way more! This book kept me on my toes and, honestly, at times had me thinking, “What?!?!” but it was beautiful. Oh so very beautiful. Kirkus called it “A finely crafted blend of heartbreak and humor…” and I have to agree 100%.
I think the road trip aspect of The Museum of Intangible Things was why my expectations were skewed. When I think road trip book I think of fun summer reads that I don’t necessarily become emotionally invested in. SO not the case here! I mean, the road trip is perfect for this story. It was just way more emotionally fraught than I anticipated! And that made it even better than I expected.
Hannah and Zoe are two characters that really got to me… Hannah especially. The more I learned about them and the situations they’re in the more invested I became. I know that’s really vague and kind of a, “well, duh!” statement. I just really don’t want to give too much away and I thought the way the story built in intensity was really well executed.
If you read the book summary it starts out with a list of words and phrases. Each of those is like a title for the different parts of the book. I’d say chapters but it’s more than that. Each is it’s own lesson for Hannah and really tells a story within the story. As I said, beautiful! I really can’t say that enough. The ending was especially bittersweet. It had me tearing up.
The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder has been one of my most surprising (in a wonderful way!) reads so far this year. It’s a story I know I’ll be processing for some time. I can’t wait for more of you to read it so we can discuss it!
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