Every Little Thing

Every Little Thing
Pamela Klaffke
Harlequin/Mira Books
2011

Imagine a newspaper columnist who is part Joan Rivers and part Edina Monsoon from “Absolutely Fabulous.” Now imagine this newspaper columnist is your mother.

In Pamela Klaffke’s second novel, Every Little Thing, the protagonist, Mason McDonald, doesn’t have to imagine. Her mother was the notorious Britt Castleman, a San Francisco-based gossip columnist who ruthlessly informed her readers of upper-crust scandals. She also wrote extensively about her daughter, and no detail was too juicy to reveal.

As Every Little Thing begins, Mason has returned home to San Francisco from her chosen refuge in a remote Canadian town to attend her mother’s funeral. Britt couldn’t even die like a normal mother, instead doing so while having plastic surgery on a rather delicate area. She is not glad to be back, nor about having to confront her mother’s past.

Facing motherhood, Mason becomes the subject of quite the scandal herself after a chance meeting with an editor gets her an online column. She also gets involved with a reality TV show that focuses on different mother archetypes. Mason is the “bad” mother, and her unconventional life is quite the talk of the town — and the Internet.

Caught up in notoriety, gossip, and all-around tawdriness, Mason realizes she can’t escape her mother’s shadow. And, despite doing everything in her power to differentiate herself from her mother, Mason realizes she has ended up just like her. Maybe this will force her to finally grow up.

Mason can be a difficult character to like. She’s self-absorbed and sour. She can’t handle her childhood friends growing up and moving beyond their rebellious high school years. She hates her friend Janet’s boyfriend simply for being a much older man. But as Every Little Thing progresses, Mason begins to mature and to accept reality. She becomes a bit more self-aware, yet still retains a snarky sense of humor.

Every Little Thing is fast-paced and engrossing with vivid characters. It’s a perfect read for anyone who is addicted to dramatic and over-the-top reality TV, and who can’t make it through the day without checking for updates on TMZ.com.

Every Little Thing wasn’t written to transform your life. It’s here to entertain, and it achieves just that.