McLean, Dessen's main character in What Ever Happened to Goodbye, is at odds with her self. After many years spent in a blissful state of normal, McLean must grow up too fast. Her father was the workaholic owner and chef of a restaurant in their hometown.When the restaurant fails, so too does their marriage. McLean's mom has an affair with the local university basketball coach and a high-profile divorce between McLean's parents takes place, shortly followed by a wedding and two new step-siblings for McLean. However, all this messy back story is already out of the way by the time you meet McLean.
She has sided with her father, moving from place to place with him as he does restaurant consulting, both of them trying to outrun their fear of commitment. McLean begins each move with a new persona, and at times it seems as if she has multiple personality disorder. Though she is fairly upfront about being a personality chameleon with her new friends, they don't quite seem to get it until the end of the book. The only problem is that now McLean hasn't been putting on a new character for this town- she has been being herself (as much as she can remember how, anyway) and they don't know that.
Of course, there is a guy, but the storyline never works exactly as you think it will. McLean fears attachment and Dave is frustrating as he both pushes and understands her limitations. However, this book seems to be more about loss of oneself more than any fairytale love story. McLean's father loses himself in his work, starting relationships only when he knows he will soon be moving on. McLean's mother is not the same as McLean remembers her either, shedding her hippy self and going back to the high-class roots she was born with. And McLean is in the middle, torn apart by her parents divorce, as she tries to come to terms with who she is as an adult.
In all, this book was not what I expected (a romance for a desperate girl) and I was surprised both at how long it took McLean to break as well as how incredibly, unbelievably unknowing both her parents were about her life. Her father is basically absent, leaving her to set up the house, etc. while he is a workaholic. Her mother is completely childish, not understanding why McLean would be upset with her while at the same time throwing her money around to try and force McLean back into living with her. Her parents are definitely unbelievable characters, but the rest of the people in the book live up to semi-realistic expectations.
And I loved Deb- for being so out there, while appearing so ordinary; for striving so hard to make friends; for having such a different background from what you expect of her. Deb's story seems like it would be an interesting one for Dessen to tell next.
