"Someday, Someday, Maybe" by Lauren Graham

Sometimes it's good to take a brief respite from being Type-A. Books provide me with that escape, allowing me to delve into someone else's life. Many times it's a life that I would never want for myself, but for a few fantastical hours I can experience something that is refreshingly antithetical to my own day-to-day monotony. While I certainly don't want to be an actress in New York City, there is something inexplicably enjoyable about sinking into that fictional existence for just a little while.

This is how I felt while reading Someday, Someday, Maybe. What drew me to the book initially was the author, Lauren Graham. You may know her from Gilmore Girls. Yes, this book was written by "Lorelei Gilmore." As you might expect from a book by the co-star of The-Best-TV-Show-Ever, this story was filled with the kind of witticisms that Gilmore fans will relish. Lorelei/Lauren transfers from the TV screen to the novel quite seamlessly. Her somewhat autobiographical first novel had me chuckling and grimacing in quick succession. The book had its share of awkward moments, sarcastic musings, and cynical humor. The characters were intelligent, but not pretentious. In short, Someday, Someday, Maybe contained all the ingredients that made Lauren Graham into a fantastic Lorelei Gilmore.

The main character, Franny, is a twenty-something actress living in Brooklyn, trying hard to "make it" in show business. In other words, Franny is a waitress. She has given herself a three-year deadline to achieve her dreams. The book opens with six months to go, and Franny has resolved to double-down on her efforts to land a real acting gig. The story takes us through a whirlwind of the common ups and downs that hopeful thespians face every day. To me, Franny's life seems chaotic and disorganized. She is constantly running out of money, short on time, and without a clue as to where her dream will take her next. Some of the people she meets along the way help her to have faith in herself; others pick away at the shreds of her self-esteem, leaving her dejected, yet never without her keen sense of humor. By her side throughout it all are her two lovable roommates and her delightfully amusing father, whose clever quips and guilt-inducing answer machine messages establish him as the book's most endearing character.

I'll have to admit, the novel is a little short on plot. In fact, it seems throughout much of the story that we're just going back and forth from one audition to another. Acting jobs are few and far between. Franny gets an agent, then loses him. She gets a boyfriend, then finds out he's a tool. She gets an acting job, then realizes she's supposed to be naked. Nothing ever seems to work out. I'll tell you right now that the book doesn't neatly wrap up with her becoming a famous movie star on Gilmore Girls. However, she doesn't go home to get married either. What kept me reading was not the plot, but the wit. Franny's sardonic take on everything from show business, to the men in her life, to her own shortcomings really charms the reader into turning the page. Franny is a girl that can laugh at herself. I like that.