Look on the Bright Side
Dabney: Look on the Bright Side is the third book Higgins has set in the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet–the others are A Little Ray of Sunshine and Out of the Clear Blue Sky–and it is my favorite of the series.
The main lead–although there are three women whose lives we follow–is Lark Smith, the younger sister of the Harlow, whose story was told in A Little Ray of Sunshine. In the early pages of the book, Lark didn’t wow me–she is initially sunshiny to the point of treacle and that rarely works for me.
Lark, however, like this book, grew on me.
As the story begins, Lark’s boss in Oncology is booting her down to the ER because she keeps crying around patients. This is NOT what Lark wants because, for many years, she has believed she is destined become an oncologist. But he is adamant, and Lark is sent to work in the ER for six weeks. (This is not how residencies work but it doesn’t really matter so I’ve decided to let it go.)
That same day, she gets a text from one of the hospital’s most famous surgeons, Lorenzo Santini whom everyone calls Dr. Satan–he is known as an interpersonal nightmare. She has no idea what he wants but agrees to meet him as he asks. For reasons–and again, I just decided to go with this even though it is impossible to believe this would happen in the real medical world–he wants her to be his date for the summer because his grandmother, who is dying, wants to know he is happily partnered. In exchange, he’ll put in a good word for Lark with some high-flying cancer docs he knows. Even though she thinks it’s a bit scuzzy–me too, Lark, me too–she agrees.
Honestly, the first few chapters of this book had me shaking my head. Lark is a manic pixie girl, Lorenzo is a caricature of a brilliant asshole surgeon, and I struggled to feel OK about the fact that Lark’s true love, Justin, has been dead for seven years–she’s 33–and she’s never come close to getting over him. I thought about DNF-ing the book.
I am so happy I didn’t. Look on the Bright Side is–and this is saying something–one of Higgin’s bests.
Kayne, what are your thoughts?
Kayne: I really liked Lark! She has a sense of humor and is so kind to everyone. She is funny on her first date with Lorenzo when we see her thinking how stuffy and arrogant he is yet she’s trying to be polite but is a little snarky and orders all the most expensive things on the menu. I wondered if this was going to be a grumpy/sunshine trope and it became even more interesting when Lark meets Dante, Lorenzo’s hot, firefighter brother. I couldn’t wait to find out who she would end up with. Was Lorenzo as big of a jerk as he first appeared, or would he redeem himself? Is Dante as nice of a guy as he seems and if so, what will he think of Lark after he finds out she’s been fake dating Lorenzo?
I agree Lark was over the top when she kept crying in Oncology and while it didn’t bother me as much that she was still grieving for Justin, I wasn’t interested in hearing about their courtship and how much she missed him – I wanted to skip to the part where she falls in love again. I wanted to know how her dates were going with Lorenzo’s family and if she could make it in ER.
Dabney: I get the whole love of my life thing, I do. But I also felt as though it was past time for Lark to move on. It was fun to watch her with both Dante and Lorenzo–and I liked the way both storylines played out. But I was very ready to get out of Lark’s head and thus was thrilled when, in chapter four, the narration shifts from Lark to her mom Ellie. From that point, the book began to soar.
Unlike her daughter, Ellie is not a ball of sweetness and light, especially not after she discovers her devoted husband of 38 years, has done something she finds almost unforgivable. This comes as a shock to her and to everyone in their town because she and Gerald have what just about everyone would describe as the best marriage ever. They’re madly in love, have a hot sex life, adore their five kids and three grandkids, have their health, and Ellie has a very successful career as a painter and gallery owner. But now, now Ellie suddenly sees her life through the lens of anger. She’s supporting their family while Gerald faffs about starting and never finishing projects at home AND HE’S RETIRED! She is so angry she, rather randomly, moves out of the home they’ve lived in forever and in with Joy, a wealthy, lonely woman who moved to Wellfleet several years ago and is still mourning the death of her best friend and brother.
What did you think about Ellie and her story?
Kayne: I couldn’t wait to find out if Ellie would go back to Gerald. I was glad to see her take the summer off for herself, not just because of what happened with Gerald but because she had worked so many years without a break and she deserved one. I admired Ellie and her relationships with her family. It was interesting to see how her paintings changed over the summer.
Dabney: Ellie is my jam. I was less interested in Joy. What are your thoughts about her?
Kayne: I loved Joy – her name fit her so well because she brought joy to everyone she meets. She was such a good friend to Lark and her mom, Ellie, the way she took them in and how they all helped each other heal. It was special when she started working at the Bayview Senior Living Community in the Memory Care Unit and her classes were such a big hit, everyone started taking them, not just the memory residents. Hearing about her classes, like Joyful Movement, made me smile – I wanted to take them too.
Dabney: Though Joy’s story didn’t do much for me, I loved Ellie’s and, after the first quarter of the book, I fell for Lark’s as well. But what I love most about this book–which moved me to tears more than once–is that Higgins writes gorgeously about the startling joy life offers when we have made our peace with death.
Lark, as part of trying to get back to oncology, becomes a hospice volunteer and the parts of the story where she sits with those who are dying are phenomenal. Higgins’ greatest gift in all her books is her risible love for humanity paired with her determination to give her readers genuine hope about life, love, and the world. The key word there, and why this book ended up being so lovely, is genuine.
In Look on the Bright Side, Higgins leans into death. Her descriptions of patients going through cancer treatments are hard to read and, although one has the sense that she believes we, in our culture of treatment no matter what, need to consider if that is always the best option, she gracefully supports the choices patients make. In the scenes where patients in hospice opt to go gently into that good night, her prose soars. If you can read chapter 18 without sobbing, you’re made of sterner stuff than am I.
Kayne: Chapter 18 was so heartbreaking. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it now and I rarely cry over books. It was so well done. I do agree with you about how hard it was to get through the part dealing with cancer treatments, but it made me appreciate the incredible ending even more. I did wonder how Lark had time to work in ER, volunteer for hospice and fake date Lorenzo.
Dabney: Yeah–there is no way Lark would have had all that free time. But, this is a feel good fiction and, again, I just decided to go with it.
Kayne: Feel good is right. I so enjoyed reading this novel!
Dabney: Me too. And I need to stress, even though parts are heartbreaking, Look On The Bright Side is a joyful, funny, hug of a book. Lark, Ellie, and Joy all find the happy endings they deserve. The Santini family and the Smith family are peopled by those I’d love to hang out with–there’s not a loser in the bunch. I adored all the sibling teasing, the witty retorts, and the unbounded love these lucky families share. I am now wishing I could spend some time in Wellfleet–for starters, Ellie and I have a lot to talk about!
Kayne: What stood out for me was how the story managed to be upbeat and hopeful, even during the hardest of times and the different ways that friends were there for each other.
Dabney: Yes. Look on the Bright Side makes it clear that living and loving are just so damn worth it. In a world where we focus relentlessly on the costs of opening ourselves to others, this book celebrates connection in lovely ways.
Kayne: Both families were wonderful. The party Joy threw for Lark and Lorenzo so the families could meet was a hoot. They were all so funny and quick witted with each other and even with Noni, Lorenzo’s nasty grandmother – they made me laugh. This is my favorite book I’ve read by this author and one of my favorite books so far this year. My grade is an A.
Dabney: This is a DIK for me too. I’ve read thousands of books in my life and have decided that good endings are the hardest thing to do well. The end of this book, especially the last page, is a gem. And the novel’s last line? It’s perfect.
My advice to readers is grab this wonderful book. Though it takes a bit to hit its stride, when it does, it’s magical. It gets an A- from me.