There should be a triggering warning at the beginning of Sharon M. Peterson’s novel, The Do Over. Read with caution if you:
Have an over-controlling mother;
Are working at a job you hate;
Constantly fail at dieting;
Have a beautiful, successful sister;
Suffer a breakup that goes viral.
In other words, most readers will relate and empathize with Perci Mayfield’s life, and perhaps be inspired to make some changes in their own. Along the way, The Do Over will produce many laugh out loud moments.
Perci works at her father’s company, Mayfield Home Mortgage, and is dating Brent, the top agent. Lying helpless in a dentist’s chair, Perci is forced to listen to a radio show, “Friday Cry Day,” where concert tickets are given to a caller who breaks up with a significant other on the air. She recognizes Brent as one of the callers. According to Brent, she’s boring, not adventurous, and always worried about making other people happy. Worse yet, Perci’s father takes Brent’s side, refusing to fire him because he’s a good producer.
New Year’s Eve at Perci’s Houston apartment is a pity party with her best friend. Mathias works as a consultant and photographer for beauty pageant contestants. For a long time, he’s been in love with Perci’s sister, Phee, the weather person on local news channel, KKRE, who is about to become engaged to the station’s narcissistic anchor, Joel Allen. The two console each other until Mathias comes up with the ultimate resolution list for Perci, not to do all the things she thinks she should do, like please her mother, lose weight, work hard, and date. Over the next few months that will be Perci’s objective, to leave her old self behind and create the New Perci.
She achieves varying degrees of success. Quitting her job at her father’s firm and landing one at a day care center is the first step. Because she now walks to work, she keeps her weight in check – somewhat – but doesn’t stare at the scale, basically because she’s thrown it out. She also volunteers at Hope House, a place to help women, particularly those who have spent time in prison, get back on their feet. And when showing up for family functions, she sets aside the black clothes her mother forced her to buy in favor of colorful outfits, including one skirt with watermelons all over it.
Perci’s partner in crime is her grandmother, Mimi, whose Oscar Wilde like sayings open each chapter. Some examples: “A good friend’ill help you bury the bodies. A great friend knows how much poison you’ll need.” Or, “One day you’ll need to be the bigger person. Eat all the cake you can now to prepare.” And contrary to Perci’s mother, Mimi, usually the most outrageously dressed woman in the room, loves her granddaughter’s style.
Something unexpected does happen. Perci meets one of her neighbors, Nate, and his eight year-old daughter, Lilah, who loves birds and can do bird calls. The three begin to hang out together and when Perci’s mother asks if she’s dating, she blurts out that she has a boyfriend, Nate. She’s shocked when he agrees to play along with her ruse, even showing up at a family dinner.
When Perci is tasked with arranging her parent’s 30th anniversary party, she spends time at Mimi’s going through old photographs. What she discovers will put into perspective the family dynamic that has created her mother’s controlling behavior. Unfortunately, after too many mojitos, Perci opens Pandora’s box during the party, making the whole family saga fodder on YouTube.
Peterson used to be a middle school teacher which goes a long way towards explaining her insights on family dynamics. Those young adolescent years are when helicopter parents emerge in all their glory, hoping to steer their children to success in college and the workplace. Perci is the grown up example of what happens when all that over-attention results in depression, self-doubt, and anxiety.
There’s also a focus on how parents can, unwittingly, foster sibling rivalry, favoring one child over another. Fortunately, in The Do Over, Perci and Phee manage to remain close and support each other no matter how much their mother does to place them in competition. I predict after reading this novel, more than one grown women will be compelled to call a sister for a heart-to-heart chat.
A very satisfying, edifying, and humorous read.
The Do Over
Sharon M. Peterson
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