The Fallback Plan

Jan 03, 2012 karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: welcome-author

**woo-hoo!! this is finally out!! come to my store and buy it!!**

so last friday i tried to go to some brooklyn bookfair bookend event at greenlight books (holla), but that place was packed to the tits and very warmly and moistly unpleasant, and i was wallflowering it over in the fiction section with my free beer and tonguing persistent fig seeds out of my teeth when i finally noticed i was not having a good time, and went outside to hopefully waylay the one person i knew who was going to be ther...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, netgalley, reviewed-in-2011

In another twenty years I would still be depressed and apathetic. I would still be waiting for that turning point, the one that comes in books and plays, where the hero has to step up and risk it all. Apparently, in life, there is no such thing.

The Fallback Plan is a great and much needed addition to the so called New Adult literature. If I had to describe it in just one word, it would be normal. Everything about this book is wonderfully acceptable and ordinary and that’s exactly what makes it s...more In another twenty years I would still be depressed and apathetic. I would still be waiting for that turning point, the one that comes in books and plays, where the hero has to step up and risk it all. Apparently, in life, there is no such thing.

The Fallback Plan is a great and much needed addition to the so called New Adult literature. If I had to describe it in just one word, it would be normal. Everything about this book is wonderfully acceptable and ordinary and that’s exactly what makes it so special.

Esther Kohler is a twenty-something recent college graduate, unemployed and living with her parents. Unable to decide what to do with herself, she spends her days aimlessly, hanging out with her high school friends and her old crush Jack, drinking a lot and taking an occasional Vicodin or five. Determined to help her through a tough time (or just to get her off her back, really) Esther’s mom finds her a babysitting job. Not having anything better to do with her time, Esther starts taking care of 4-year-old May, and they soon become very close. Sorting through other people’s problems helps Esther realize that she must face her own issues and find a compromise between her dreams and real life, and maybe even build some self-esteem in the process.

Esther’s determination to find a physical cause for her depression was at times saddening, at times hilarious, but mostly it was just familiar. We all have our little neuroses and I think Leigh Stein did an excellent job of giving them a name and a face.
I knew I was depressed, but my hope was that maybe there was a brain tumor at the root of all this, something that would show up on a map of my cerebrum, something excisable. And then I came across the word weltschmerz.

Esther’s relationship with Jack was as charming as it was awkward. He is that guy a girl turns to when she thinks she doesn’t deserve any better. And yet, even with him, Esther felt completely inadequate.
”I’ve never seen anyone fall over like that,” he said. He took the bottle when I was finished. “You’re cuter when you don’t move around so much.”

Don’t let my three stars fool you: The Fallback Plan is a really good book. My failure to connect with Esther on so many levels is exactly that: MY failure. Leigh Stein is in no way responsible. In fact, I admire her character building and I think many of you will easily relate to her story. This is a must-read for everyone who felt a little lost and a lot confused after college.

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Nov 26, 2011 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-e-book, 2012, arc

3.5 Stars

I thought the author did an excellent job portraying someone who feels directionless and a little without hope.

Esther has just moved home after graduating from college. She finds herself in a funk, in a state of inertia. She has no goals and no idea what to do with her degree, much less her life. She hangs out with two loser friends, Jack and Pickle, who seem to don't seem to do anything other than play video games, drink, and smoke weed. At first I had no idea what Esther would see in...more 3.5 Stars

I thought the author did an excellent job portraying someone who feels directionless and a little without hope.

Esther has just moved home after graduating from college. She finds herself in a funk, in a state of inertia. She has no goals and no idea what to do with her degree, much less her life. She hangs out with two loser friends, Jack and Pickle, who seem to don't seem to do anything other than play video games, drink, and smoke weed. At first I had no idea what Esther would see in Jack. She describes him as having anger management issues, being in and out of reform high-school before college. But then you see that Esther doesn't really care about anything, least of all herself, at this point in her life. She's depressed and apathetic. Esther's parents, though, require her to pay rent and encourage her to get a job. Working at the movie theatre is one suggestion, not one she really pursues. Then an offer comes from a neighboring family, Nate and Amy Brown, they need a babysitter for their four-year old daughter, May. It seems Amy wants to go back to her painting. The Browns also had another daughter, a baby, who they found dead in her crib, not that long ago.

I felt so bad for May and Amy. And I guess poor Nate, too. Even though I know I should be sympathetic to his character, he did lose daughter too, I couldn't help but want to shake him. What idiot thinks it's okay to be kissing on a girl, and then lamenting the loss of another in the next breath? (view spoiler) Somehow, Esther becomes the confidant and confessor to these people, with them hoping she'll forgive their sins or at least give them a blessing. I wanted to cheer when we finally see Esther sort of wake up, and realize that she "has things to do", things that could positively affect the world around her. I loved what she told Esther in the bar.

This book was tragically sad in one moment, and ironically funny the next. I loved the visual I get thinking of Esther riding down the street, on her hot pink and lavender bicycle, wearing her ladybug-patterned helmet. Also funny, Esther, as an excuse that she's doing something, writes a play with portal hopping panda. This sounds crazy but leads to an endearing moment in the end. All and all, I thought this was a great debut from Leigh Stein, and I look forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Melville House Publishing for providing me a copy to read.
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Mar 16, 2012 Reynje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemp-or-realistic, e-book-kindle, read-2012, shelf-of-ambivalence

”Why do you always miss everything, I thought. Why can’t you ever be happy in the moment, instead of looking backward or forward?”

On the face of it, this seemed like a “Rey Book”, because I like to think that twenty-something-angst is my unofficial area of expertise. I thought that I would my spend my time reading The Fallback Plan nodding along in enthusiastic agreement, flagging passages and essentially revelling in the sheer relevance to my life.

But just shy of the halfway point, I found m...more

”Why do you always miss everything, I thought. Why can’t you ever be happy in the moment, instead of looking backward or forward?”

On the face of it, this seemed like a “Rey Book”, because I like to think that twenty-something-angst is my unofficial area of expertise. I thought that I would my spend my time reading The Fallback Plan nodding along in enthusiastic agreement, flagging passages and essentially revelling in the sheer relevance to my life.

But just shy of the halfway point, I found myself growing weary of Esther and her weltschmerz. It struck me that I’m not all that interested in reading about someone’s existential crisis just for the sake of it. Whereas I could bang on about my own for hours (no one would listen of course, and for good reason) I simply didn’t care about Esther’s. I wanted a more compelling reason to be a participant in her pity-party, as harsh as that sounds. And rather than relating to her malaise, more often than not during the first half of the novel, the self-indulgence of Esther’s actions and musings just grated on me. Not be all Judgy McJudgePants, because I think I understand the whole ‘making poor choices element’ of being a young adult, but I found myself less and less able to sympathise with her, and her apparently wilful blindness to the obvious.

Somewhere after this point, however, my feelings began to change. As Esther becomes more entangled with the Brown family, and her relationships with each member become more complex, it becomes a more compelling story. It’s heavily introspective, and Esther’s development throughout the book is subtle, but Stein’s writing is sharply observant and pitch-perfect. While at times I found Esther’s constant stream of neurosis bordering on tedious, it’s also often hilarious and undeniably well-written.

”I saw I was deceiving myself. I was the one who wanted to regress to some Eden, a second childhood using May as my ticket. I wanted to travel back in time [...] and relive the precious ordinariness of all those days I never knew I would miss.”

”You’d think once I was old enough to realize how much damage I’d likely done to his self-esteem when I was eight years old by laughing at him with other girls, I’d apologize, but instead I just friended him on Facebook.”

The book really does articulate the particular brand of apathy that accompanies the transition from childhood to adulthood, and the realisation that life is not always what it was cracked up to be. Additionally it captures the painful deconstruction of relationships in the wake of grief, and the fact that nobody is really who they appear to be on the surface.

I’m loathe to use the word “quirky”, but as a character driven story, the voice is exceptionally off-beat while remaining realistic. However, I think I expected to have a more profound reaction to reading this book. I enjoyed it and found that a lot of the latter content resonated with me, but ultimately it lacked the personal “a-ha moment” I was anticipating.
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Aug 16, 2012 Con McVeety rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this is what indie debut novels should inspire to be. In “The Fallback Plan” Esther fresh out college finds herself moving back home to live with parents. She’s kind of a wallflower, imaginative, rather apathetic towards her goals and plans, oh and very likeable. Esther’s voice is so genuine, so raw and real, original and confused that I wonder how much of Leigh Stein’s self is written in to the character of Esther, how much of her experience, her fears, her imaginative nature is Leigh Stei...more Wow, this is what indie debut novels should inspire to be. In “The Fallback Plan” Esther fresh out college finds herself moving back home to live with parents. She’s kind of a wallflower, imaginative, rather apathetic towards her goals and plans, oh and very likeable. Esther’s voice is so genuine, so raw and real, original and confused that I wonder how much of Leigh Stein’s self is written in to the character of Esther, how much of her experience, her fears, her imaginative nature is Leigh Stein’s ?, certainly her love of Pandas and theater. Maybe Leigh Stein created her from thin air. Either way this book I found myself falling in love with for a number of reasons.

Writing likeable fully realized characters, characters that are deeply flawed, who's actions are less the desirable, while fully engaging the reader is hard and attemped often. Leigh Stein swings for the fences and the ball lands in the parking lot, and too think this is her first novel, but damn if I wasn’t totally impressed in how Esther talked, what she was going through, I laughed along with her morbid sense of humor, felt her embarrassments as if they were my own. Think of an older less snobby Holden Caulfield for Generation Y, with Its K’s , LOL’s and OMG’s, that has never used a payphone to pick a place for a date. Yes you would be hard press to find a more likable character written in the last few years, one I’m kind of in love with, one I want only to say everything will be ok.

Beyond that this book is short and blissful, while never comprasing depth, a page turner the why suspense novels are written. It’s full of musings of theater, books and movies and Grand Theft Auto, Vice City (a game I played by the way). Esther as a crash on a boy from high school, but he has a girlfriend already, who watches him play videos games like there’s nothing wrong with it, which kind makes sense in a time when fewer men open doors for or wait for women to exit elevators. I’m kind of off point but I feel that Leigh Stein was making some points about a lack of culture and manners with today’s recent college grads or something.

“The Fallback Plan” is bitter sweet, depressing at times but not “The Bell Jar” depressing, cute in a good why even a dude like me would like, revealing, strangely therapeutic at least to me, genuine and above all else a damn fine read!
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Dec 14, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley

Odd, her talking panda lives in a world that has a striking resemblance to Narnia. Esther claims to be writing a screenplay. Esther spends hours on end contemplating which disease she’d like contract to allow her to live on disability with her parents. Esther describes the state she's in as that of Weltschmerz (mental depression or apathy caused by a comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state; a mood of sentimental sadness.) Esther uses sentences like “if this were a movie”...more Odd, her talking panda lives in a world that has a striking resemblance to Narnia. Esther claims to be writing a screenplay. Esther spends hours on end contemplating which disease she’d like contract to allow her to live on disability with her parents. Esther describes the state she's in as that of Weltschmerz (mental depression or apathy caused by a comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state; a mood of sentimental sadness.) Esther uses sentences like “if this were a movie” or if my life were a book.”

And given all that, Esther pissed me off but made me laugh. She pissed me off because~ I WAS her (and every so often do revert back to being like her when the mood hits.) At least she made me laugh. Her directionless self has a tendency to daydream, and it was all of the unlikely scenarios she came up with that had me laughing. What’s better is the funny did not end in her head… because everyone else around her was just as off balance as she was. Jack and Pickle on one hand then Amy, Nate and May on the other. In fact, everyone was so not normal, it was the kid who came across as the most well adjusted:

On Esther and Jack. Depressing. The girl has a tendency to not only imagine but also reminisce. She’d compare her present state to her ideal state enough to have her feeling down. But she also compared her present state to what was, making her just a little more depressed. Seeing her with him was depressing. Her romanticizing what they could, how they could be when in truth he is not that perfect, rather he’s so far from perfect.

On Esther and Amy and Nate and May. Sad. Their situation is sad and that is just about the only thing I can say. Esther enters the picture knowing fully well that tragedy had happened. She still does shitty things but surprisingly all the members of that family come to depend on her, need her. How odd/sad/unlikely is that?

What I liked most about this is how she’s funny and sad but not at the same time. More likely, she’s funny then sad and then funny then sad again. Add the fact that she just doesn't know what she wants. No, not really, she knows what she wants given her head to varied imaginary situations. It’s just all those things were all unlikely to take place.

What I disliked was that she felt too deeply and thought deeply… about herself, what she had, did not have, and wanted. Everything was all about her. There’s lack of perspective on her part that’s equal parts accurate, funny and annoying. Don’t get me wrong I had fun with her, I laughed when I was supposed to, but after some thought a little more consideration, I wanted her to get over it a little. But the thing is she does (get over it) ... eventually ... a little... because with Amy/May around her there's no choice but to do so.

THANKS NETGALLEY!
3.5/5
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Aug 20, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, biblioteca

I loved this little gem of a book. It’s enough so that you find yourself relating and also realizing that you need to grow up and get off your butt and do something with your life – that is, if you haven’t already. It doesn’t drag either, which is great because I’ve read many books in the past that tried their hand at similar material and went on and on. Basically, they failed. Stein doesn’t. Read this and your life will thank you immensely.

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Feb 03, 2013 christa rated it 3 of 5 stars

The worst thing about moving home when I was 24 years old was the well-enforced curfew of 2 a.m. It was a respect thing. My parents couldn’t sleep if they knew I was on the roads, whether I was 16 or the arrested adolescent who had returned home with a pet cat and returned to the handful of part time jobs held as a high school student. So it wasn’t like I’d be grounded, per se, if I snuck in at 4 a.m. But my parents have always been able to craft a powerful look of disappointment that stung wors...more The worst thing about moving home when I was 24 years old was the well-enforced curfew of 2 a.m. It was a respect thing. My parents couldn’t sleep if they knew I was on the roads, whether I was 16 or the arrested adolescent who had returned home with a pet cat and returned to the handful of part time jobs held as a high school student. So it wasn’t like I’d be grounded, per se, if I snuck in at 4 a.m. But my parents have always been able to craft a powerful look of disappointment that stung worse than any corporal punishment.

The return home is a bit more seamless for Esther Kohler, a recent graduate from Northwestern’s theater department and the smart ass star of Leigh Stein’s refusing-to-come-of-age novel “The Fallback Plan.” Esther closes out the college years debilitated by a manic episode that ends with her hospitalized and later back in her childhood home -- though not her childhood bedroom, which has been converted in her absence. Back at home she hangs with her ‘rents or her best friend Pickle and his friend Jack, whose awfulness she seems willing to ignore because of his dreaminess.

Esther is content to hang loose and write a play with similarities to “The Chronicles of Narnia,” but her mother finds her a job working for the beautifully tragic neighborhood couple. They’ve recently lost an infant daughter and need someone to watch their toddler while he is at the office and she is in the attic working on her art. Esther develops a relationship with each of the family members, each fall into a different area on the socially acceptable scale.

It’s not as much of a plot as a chronological look at a couple months that includes a few dead episodes. Esther’s mental illness is revealed late and as sort of an afterthought -- as though every theater major gets so caught up in playing Blanche Dubois that they morph into something so fragile she should be kept in a display case. Also, as Esther kind of free flows through life she ends up making some wretched decisions -- or rather, not making the decision that would keep her away from the wretched situation. “The Fallback Plan” is okay. It has some good humor and a few relatable moments for anyone who deferred on adulthood, but there isn’t a lot holding it together. (less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have a feeling that this is one of those books that you either connect with and love, or you just don't. Happily, I belong to the first group of people.

The Fallback Plan is one of those rare books that manages to successfully pull off an astounding number of feats. It's:

1. quirky, but not twee (I just found out about this word and I love it a lot so there)
2. refreshing, but doesn't try too hard
3. pretty much about first world problems, but they still matter and aren't annoying

However, this...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was going to be a light, funny read...and it was at times, but there were also some deeper bits, and I found myself admiring Stein's writing like I would those "big name" writerly types like John Irving or Ann Tyler...if Ann Tyler or John Irving wrote a blog and posted things on Facebook.

Twenty-something Esther has moved back into her parents' house after college with a bad case of Weltschmerz (her diagnosis). In other words, she already world weary and apathetic...or maybe just d...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars

i really didn't like this book. the first chapter made me want to give up on this book - it got better, but only barely. the characterization was really bare, and i had no sympathy for esther, who dreams of contracting a chronic illness and living off disability checks so that she doesn't have to get a job after she graduates from college. give me a break, you have a theater degree, do we really need a book discussing how it sucks that you had to move back in with your parents? and the book ment...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

I often felt as if Leigh Stein must have been stalking my thoughts, jotting them down as she scanned them going across my brain, because there were many moments where her wry comments and blunt snark completely mirrored things that have crossed my own mind. For the most part, though, this story is hopefully bleak. Things never spiral too downward or too out of control, though the threat of that occuring was always present; the character of Esther is a fortunate case of depression, in that and is...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Carla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book was different from the usual books that I read. It was funny and describes well the situation of a girl (Esther), just graduated from school, without a job and who has to move back to her parents. She gets a job as a nanny for May and sees her friends in the evening. The word that comes to my mind for describing the evenings with her friends is 'lame'. Like Esther, they don't what they want, hang around a bit. No wonder that Esther is depressed.
The family that Esther babysits is fractu...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever left college or university with your degree hoping to find the perfect job after you have completed it ? Many of us do , once we leave college - there are three sets of people. The first are the ultra-lucky ones , they are the ones that find the perfect job that they have just spent the alast 4-7years studying for , then there is the second group who are in-betweeners - these are the people who have completed their degree and who may not get a job in their chosen fields immediately...more Have you ever left college or university with your degree hoping to find the perfect job after you have completed it ? Many of us do , once we leave college - there are three sets of people. The first are the ultra-lucky ones , they are the ones that find the perfect job that they have just spent the alast 4-7years studying for , then there is the second group who are in-betweeners - these are the people who have completed their degree and who may not get a job in their chosen fields immediately but they will eventually and last but not least there is the group that will hope to never fall into - this is the group of no-hope and the group that needs most of all - a fallback plan. These are the ones who finish their study only to realise that they will never ever ever be able to find a job in their chosen fields, especially with the markets being so competitive. When talking to others about what to do once they have finished school , I always tell them to come up with at least one or two fallback jobs. For me personally, as I have been there - my dream job is to one day work in the communications field or work for an event management company and if all else fails I have the library to fallback on and teacher aiding.
The Fallback Plan by Leigh Stein is a novel that all those in their early to mid 20's will definitely understand , the novel introduces us to Esther - she has just completed her degree in film and now with no luck finding a job, she has done what many young adults do - she has gone back home to live and try and decide what to do with her life. The Fallback Plan is one girl's journey to self-discovery and along the way trying her hands at many things as a fallback before th opportunity rises for the perfect job. Soon Esther finds herself in a nannying sort of position and finds herself in the middle of being a mother for the daughter May , becoming a friend in need to the mother Amy and of course as the novel goes along a partner in crime with Amy's husband Nate. As we discover , all these built alliances will crash and when they do , it will be the wake-up call that Esther needs to discover hard and deep who she really is and what she wants out of life.
The Fallback Plan is an awesome novel by Leigh Stein , fast-paced and easy to relate to that all young adults will find themselves sitting and nodding and cringing at parts with Esther.
I look forward to reading and watching what else Leigh Stein will bring to the publishing world.(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 joey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Leigh Stein’s debut novel, The Fallback Plan is the story of Esther, a recent college graduate who, for lack of knowing what else to do and having little by way of options, moves back in with her parents. She spends her days taking expired painkillers and devising a screenplay for a film about pandas that is loosely based on “The Chronicles of Narnia,” until her parents hire her out as a babysitter to a neighborhood couple, a task to which she reluctantly resigns herself. Adulthood is exposed as...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Funny in many places. Much of the book passes before the reader understands the novel is actually about Nate, Amy, their daughter May and their dead dead daughter rather than the narrator, Esther.

Ostensibly, Esther is on a post-college journey of self-discovery but in reality its about a family dealing with the loss of a child. Esther never really resolves anything and perhaps this is the point: a listless generation coming of age in an era of indecision. Esther fails to truly have any agency i...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: judaism, fiction-usa-21st-century

I bought The Fallback Plan because I saw that Leigh Stein would be visiting a local bookstore soon and I hadn't been to an author reading in several years. In spite of not having heard of Stein before, I thought that I might be able to relate to her novel about a young woman who graduates from Northwestern with a theatre degree and no job (seeing as I'm about to pull a similar trick with law school).

At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but the further I got into the book, the more I really, r...more I bought The Fallback Plan because I saw that Leigh Stein would be visiting a local bookstore soon and I hadn't been to an author reading in several years. In spite of not having heard of Stein before, I thought that I might be able to relate to her novel about a young woman who graduates from Northwestern with a theatre degree and no job (seeing as I'm about to pull a similar trick with law school).

At first I wasn't sure what I thought, but the further I got into the book, the more I really, really liked it. The first paragraph made me uncomfortable with its pairing of the horrific ("In June, the monsoons hit Bangladesh") and the mundane ("In other news, I moved in with my parents"). But as the story unfolded, I realized that the main characters were all struggling with a similar discomfort--from the hypochondriac protagonist Esther, who contemplates possible diseases and terrifying events that could puncture her routine by either obliterating her, or, alternatively, infusing her lackluster life with meaning, to the family down the street who has experienced a heartrending loss and hires Esther as a nanny because they can't quite get back to normal. With this mix of the ordinary and the incomprehensible, it was neat to see how quickly the tone could switch back and forth between hilarious deadpan humor and reflective sorrow, from zany to sad or even creepy on a single page. It made for interesting reading and it fit how Esther isn't quite sure where she is: in childhood or adulthood, in a tragedy or a fairytale.

What I liked best about the book, ultimately, (besides the wonderful, whimsically sad interactions between Esther and her four year-old nannying charge) was how Esther, in her daydreams, sorted through the fictional images of heroic girls from the stories of her childhood to figure out how to become her own childhood hero and move on. Books from one's childhood can have such a strong influence on how you see yourself and the world as you grow up, and I felt like Stein expressed something really, really cathartic with that storyline that all former childhood bookworms would appreciate. The final sentence in the penultimate chapter that resolves this plot line is one of my favorite sentences that I have ever, ever, ever read.

So I really liked the book and look forward to reading more from Leigh Stein. My only regret is that I read the end a bit fast so I could finish before the reading tomorrow; I'd like to read the last half again, slower--or maybe the whole thing. Also, I flinched each time one of the characters used the "r word", although I think it was being used to show what the characters were like, not to endorse the word itself. Overall, the book was wonderful.

Folks who liked The Fallback Plan might also like The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott, which is one of my favorite novels ever and, like The Fallback Plan, is a simultaneously complex, funny, and somber tale of a young person with no plan.
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Jan 03, 2012 Tammy Dotts rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

For some people, the time after college is a second adolescence. Responsibilities of exams and classes are over, but responsibilities of the real world haven’t kicked in yet as recent graduates look for a job in their chosen field or continue to struggle to define what they want to do when they grown up.

The latter is the situation facing Esther in Leigh Stein’s The Fallback Plan. Having moved back in with her parents, Esther feels very much in between stages of her life. She drifts for a bit bef...more For some people, the time after college is a second adolescence. Responsibilities of exams and classes are over, but responsibilities of the real world haven’t kicked in yet as recent graduates look for a job in their chosen field or continue to struggle to define what they want to do when they grown up.

The latter is the situation facing Esther in Leigh Stein’s The Fallback Plan. Having moved back in with her parents, Esther feels very much in between stages of her life. She drifts for a bit before landing a babysitting/nanny job with family friends. The family’s youngest daughter died six months before the novel opens, and Esther’s job involves entertaining the remaining daughter, May, while her mother works on a mysterious art project in the attic.

Along the way, Esther indulges her previous college and adolescent side by hanging out in playgrounds smoking marijuana with childhood friends.

The book moves quickly, and Stein draws clear characters at crossroads in their lives.

The problem, unfortunately, is that it’s hard for readers to care about characters who aren’t sure whether or not they like themselves. Esther’s inability to move forward as an adult could be an interesting character trait if Esther seemed more invested in moving forward or had strong feelings about it either way. Instead she drifts, a little too willing to accept whatever is thrown at her without being upset or joyful over her circumstances. Esther doesn’t seem to have an opinion of herself and it’s difficult for a reader to care much about her either.

It’s telling that the stories Esther tells May to pass the time are more interesting than Esther’s own story. The original fairy tales center on a young panda girl whose travails mirror Esther’s. When Esther falls for Jack, one of her childhood friends, he shows up in the panda’s story.

How the panda experiences the crush is not as predictable as what happens to Esther and Jack. Also predictable is the relationship between Esther and May’s father.

Yet, despite the predictability, nothing happens. Esther has a safe pseudo-affair with May’s father, but it doesn’t progress to the point of danger. She sleeps with Jack, but the lack of emotional consequences or effect on the plot makes it another “meh” event in Esther’s life. Amy shows clear signs of being dangerously unhinged and Stein lays the groundwork for a big event that would threaten May or Amy that never materializes.

The novel ends as it began. Esther recognizes that her childhood is over, but doesn’t have a firm plan for the future or a firm grasp on who she wants to be. She’s grown closer to her parents and recognized she wants more than meaningless sex and affairs, but the overall impression is that the events of the novel weren’t that important to Esther, which makes them not that important to a reader.(less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Ramie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book reminds me of many a "Indie movie". From me, that's a compliment, I love this sort of thing. Still, it's not for everyone. It's the kind of story that is really just one chapter in a character's life. There's no good place for such a story to begin or end because it's like we're just peeking into someone's life briefly, even if they be a fictional someone.

In this case that someone is Esther, a recent college grad who quickly learned that the theater program doesn't lend itself to many...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: real-life, arc-s

***Obtained from NetGalley.com ***

Attacking mid-twenty-something angst with sarcasm and brutal honesty, The Fallback Plan is a manic-depressive’s dream read. With its ebb and flow of anxiety one page and humorous introspective the next, the novel keeps you on your toes and unknowingly developing comparisons to your own life.

Esther is a recent college grad who like most others with a diploma has no job and no money. Forced with no other option, she moves back into her parent’s house and anesthe...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel about what happens when life doesn't quite live up to your expectations. Esther, the narrator, is back home after college, living with her parents in the suburb where she grew up and babysitting for a family that is falling apart after the death of it's youngest child. This novel is not just about Esther's lostness as she tries to figure out what is next after college--it is equally about the family that she works for as they work through their own grief and disillusionment. Both...more This is a novel about what happens when life doesn't quite live up to your expectations. Esther, the narrator, is back home after college, living with her parents in the suburb where she grew up and babysitting for a family that is falling apart after the death of it's youngest child. This novel is not just about Esther's lostness as she tries to figure out what is next after college--it is equally about the family that she works for as they work through their own grief and disillusionment. Both Esther and the family are in need of a "fallback plan" as the book bears witness to sometimes painfully awkward and sad episodes where Esther, the mother, father, or even the daughter, each try to navigate a life that is a lot more isolating and disappointing than they were prepared for. The pairing of the directionless and often stoned college grad with the family confused by its loss allows for many moments of intimacy and understanding that fall just short of actually helping the characters out. The characters never quite realize that they aren't as alone and directionless as they feel or make themselves. These moments of intimacy are packed with humor, irony and detail that is original and fresh and, somehow, reassuring for the reader. Stein's humor and tone keep things light hearted, even though readers are watching a slow motion car crash in the lives of the characters.

Ultimately, as Stein weaves Esther's story together with that of the family she works for, we are shown the tragedy of "growing up"--that disillusionment and responsibility for which we are not well enough equipped--which happens more than once in our lives, not just as adolescents or recent college grads. In a way, each period of transition and change shown in this book challenges the characters and readers to admit that we have to settle for less than our expectations had prepared us for. But there is hope and contentment in the settling for less.

This book is infinitely relatable, no matter how lost or settled you are in your life. While the characters themselves may have a hard time realizing that they are not alone, this book will definitely reassure you that you aren't the only one. And despite the bleak material it deals with, you laugh and feel hope and connection throughout the entire read. (less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Ezm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

The book is about a Jewish girl named Ester in her early twenties who just graduated from a prestigious college and couldn't find a job so she had to move back home. Basically she got a babysitting job for a couple who lived in the neighborhood. They wanted Ester to take care of their young 5 year old (was she five or is that what I imagined in my head?) while the father worked and his wife worked on some bohemian art project in the attic. The woman had a miscarriage and was falling apart, much...more The book is about a Jewish girl named Ester in her early twenties who just graduated from a prestigious college and couldn't find a job so she had to move back home. Basically she got a babysitting job for a couple who lived in the neighborhood. They wanted Ester to take care of their young 5 year old (was she five or is that what I imagined in my head?) while the father worked and his wife worked on some bohemian art project in the attic. The woman had a miscarriage and was falling apart, much like they were as a family.

It's set in a small suburban town, much like my own it seemed like. A lot about this story I could hold onto even though I am a bit older. It's summer time and she's facing crippling depression and apathy. After getting the babysitting job, Ester soon got swept up in the drama and tragedy in their lives while becoming the pseudo mother figure for the child May, whose mother Amy was already broken and her dad, Nathan oblivious.

It was poignant, funny, and yet very tragic. I love the way the author wrote it. Everything was vivid in my head. It wasn't a long book but it was long enough to paint a full picture in my mind. Some scenes I will probably remember forever. It does leave a strange taste in my mouth.

It comments on how those who have graduated from college in the last 5 years tend to be jobless and up to the eyeballs with debt which makes it easily to relate to. However, there seems to be lot of pieces missing. It was more circular in motion but it seemed fitting because life seems to circulate within itself. There is no straight line. It was a post-college coming of age story.

Maybe because the ending is ambiguous and unresolved or because life was painted with a depressing realism that is sometimes hard to swallow. It makes me want to disappear into my own version of Narnia like she did in the book. It all just feels so unresolved and that makes me sad.

Still, it is a good read. You might want something uplifting nearby near the end, though.(less)

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Feb 25, 2012 Larry Hoffer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Esther Kohler just graduated from Northwestern. Although she dreams of being an actress, she's not really interested in actually pursuing that career right now. In fact, she doesn't really feel like doing much of anything. When she moves back home to live with her parents, she envisions days of laying on the couch in her pajamas, watching lots of television, re-reading her favorite children's books, and existing under a haze of prescription drugs.

Her parents, however, have other plans for Esthe...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Cynthia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

Sweet and Sour

“The Fallback Plan” is about 22 year old Esther who’s just graduated from Northwestern with a degree in Drama. She’s having some ‘issues’ so winds up moving back in with mom and dad. Stein has a wonderfully acerbic wit which masks this young woman’s sweetness. Esther has a wry ability to laugh at herself even when she’s in pain. Her sense of the ridiculous helps her see past herself. The punch lines are never where and what you’d expect and the humor is never mean spirited. She let...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Whitney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

The Fallback Plan is the story of Esther Kohler, a depressed twentysomething wandering aimlessly through her post-grad life. Many of us have been in Esther's shoes: we close the door on a significant part of our lives and face an endless hallway of doors, or perhaps, an endless hallway of blank space that appears to lead nowhere. Esther moves back in with her parents, the titular "fallback plan," and seems to be waiting for a catalyst to get her life moving again.

It's when Esther takes a job ba...more The Fallback Plan is the story of Esther Kohler, a depressed twentysomething wandering aimlessly through her post-grad life. Many of us have been in Esther's shoes: we close the door on a significant part of our lives and face an endless hallway of doors, or perhaps, an endless hallway of blank space that appears to lead nowhere. Esther moves back in with her parents, the titular "fallback plan," and seems to be waiting for a catalyst to get her life moving again.

It's when Esther takes a job babysitting for the Browns, a couple whose infant daughter recently died, that the story begins moving. Esther spends her days playing in the Browns' backyard with four-year-old May while May's mother Amy works on a mysterious art project in the attic. Esther loves spending time with May, but her life remains rather static as she navigates several ill-fated romantic entanglements and attempts to write a screenplay.

There's no doubt that Leigh Stein is a talented writer; however, I didn't feel like I could take anything away from her characters. I like to read novels that take a character's unique struggle and make it universal, something that anyone can relate to. Unfortunately, The Fallback Plan did the opposite for me: Esther's post-graduate conflicts were so mundane that they seemed particular only to her situation. Even as someone who experienced depressive episodes in college and felt that awful sensation of standing still while the rest of the world continues moving, I couldn't seem to relate to Esther. And most of the secondary characters were like stick figures rather than actual portraits of human beings.

The part of the book that resonated most with me was Esther's memory of a cruel and traumatizing prank at a sleepover she attended when she was thirteen. Unfortunately, the tale lasted just a few pages and didn't really play into the novel's story as a whole. I imagine that Leigh Stein's writing will only improve if she continues, I just hope that I'll find something more in her future novels.(less)

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Jan 20, 2012 Mandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Esther has just finished college and moved back in with her parents. Recognizing that her childhood is now over, she realizes that the next stage in her life is ready to begin. Unfortunately, she doesn't know what that next step is. Pushed into a babysitting job by her mother in an attempt for her to do something other than eat cereal in her pajamas, she spends a good portion of her time imagining that she is the mother of her charge and the lover of her charge's father. The rest is spent smokin...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Aja rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Very quick, easy read. The author has nailed the voice of the jobless, quirky post-college grad and while a lot of parts were quite funny and had the ring of truth to them, it was hard to not become increasingly annoyed with Esther (the narrator)'s misguided self-righteousness. Spoilers, but why did the novel have to end with such a horrific kiss-off to Amy, who in her mourning just sought for friendship and understanding (seriously she must have invited people over for dinner 5 times during the...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Kaitlin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ho hum.
I was very excited when I first saw this book -- the cover stands out, the back cover paragraph is pretty hilarious about a new grad moving back in with her parents, the writing style seemed fresh and new. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it at my library as well, and quickly scooped up a copy, thinking I would read about the disillusionment of being a new grad and realizing that jobs and experience don't just flow to you immediately after graduating, and more likely than not you e...more Ho hum.
I was very excited when I first saw this book -- the cover stands out, the back cover paragraph is pretty hilarious about a new grad moving back in with her parents, the writing style seemed fresh and new. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it at my library as well, and quickly scooped up a copy, thinking I would read about the disillusionment of being a new grad and realizing that jobs and experience don't just flow to you immediately after graduating, and more likely than not you either end up back at your parents, or paying (expensive) rent and working in the service industry.

Yes, I gathered all that from the back cover. More so, projected it on there.

This book isn't a contemplation on after-grad status, but, to me, a bit of a muddled mess about mental illness, children's writing, infidelity, and strange relationships. What begins as a promising portrayal of life after school, turns into unexplained moments of intense depression and insanity, really shocking life events that trail off, and the static progression of a character you would assume would grow.

I think the moments of darkness that are interwoven with this work add more, but the fact that they are always written in as a shock tactic grows old, and grows even older when they are just left there to dangle. It doesn't seem like a conscious technique to allow the reader to fuse their experience on top of the moment, but more a lapse in writing and editing at these loose ends. I completely did not understand the point of creating a story line within a story, especially given it was her supposed screenplay/children's book about Pandas with a rip-off/eerie portrayal of Chronicle of Narnia meets the Holocaust. It didn't add anything for me to the story, and I was confused as to why the character was writing this/thought it was appropriate as a children's book, and how this story line mimicked her life.

The character also proves less sympathetic and relatable than I had hoped. Instead of feeling for her, I found myself wondering why she kept doing these awful things, and then either suddenly having a moral change of heart, or just ignoring the instance altogether. I think the character suffered from lack of planning and fully fleshing out who she was and is. Also, I felt a lot of the 'shock moments' in this book were poorly conceived and the lack of continual reference within the character and storyline left me wondering if they actually affected the character and her psyche or if it was a plot device that fell short.

I found the writing style and language smooth and easily readable, matching the character as well. I would have liked to see a tighter knit plot, because even though this may have been written 'stream of consciousness' style or in reference too, the comparisons to Franny and Zooey don't hold up in this jumbled mess.

With all that being said, I think I will continue to read Leigh Stein's books because there is something interesting about her writing and I believe she will just get better with more experience. I thought that some of the reality that she describes is done very authentically and is not always so far-fetched, and that her ability to write aloofness is astounding. I hope that future reads from her will garner a better sense of completeness.
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Jan 17, 2012 Meryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Leigh Stein’s first novel, The Fallback Plan, was a quick read that will resonate with people who were jolted by adjusting to life after college. Stein’s protagonist, Esther Koehler, returns home to her parents’ house in an Illinois suburb after graduating from Northwestern with a degree in theater. Esther has little to no interest in finding a job and prefers to revisit her favorite childhood books and hang around with her old friends, two slackers who are also failing to launch.

Esther’s parano...more Leigh Stein’s first novel, The Fallback Plan, was a quick read that will resonate with people who were jolted by adjusting to life after college. Stein’s protagonist, Esther Koehler, returns home to her parents’ house in an Illinois suburb after graduating from Northwestern with a degree in theater. Esther has little to no interest in finding a job and prefers to revisit her favorite childhood books and hang around with her old friends, two slackers who are also failing to launch.

Esther’s paranoia and depression are both touching and amusing, in a fashion that’s reminiscent of Woody Allen and Larry David’s neurotic protagonists. She describes the German concept of welchmerz, mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state; a mood of sentimental sadness, which is a familiar position for anyone who has just moved from one chapter of her life to another.

Esther’s parents are endlessly supportive of her and don’t seem too disturbed or angry that she isn’t making moves to find a career. In order to get her out of the house, her mother finds her a job babysitting for a family who recently lost their daughter. Through her relationship with May, the three year old she cares for, Esther is able to find a kernel of happiness and sense of self during this troubling time.

While the author creates a likable and memorable character in Esther, she fails to develop most of the supporting cast of characters that Esther interacts with. The tension she confronts is in her own head, and the conflicts she experiences seem to have no consequences. The reader is never convinced that the actual stakes that Esther faces are very high. The most well developed character is Amy, the mother who is grieving for the loss of her baby. She befriends and confides in Esther, but instead of feeling sympathy towards Amy, Esther grows to resent Amy’s dependence on her and the fact that she is not able to be the ideal mother to her beloved May. At the end, she tells Amy to fuck off, without any regret. This, to me, is not the sign of a dynamic character.

Throughout the novel, Esther jumps from reflecting on one literary character to the next without clearly establishing why they are important to her, then or now, or furthering the plot. As someone who grew up reading many of the same books that Esther cherishes, I appreciated her countless references to the literary heroines of our youth, but wish she had better tied them to her current situation. She also tells periodic stories about pandas, which is supposed to be some kind of allegory, but I found boring and distracting.

With her humor and stark honesty, Stein has a lot of potential to grow into an important literary force.

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Mar 11, 2012 Barry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Short, sharp and shocking.

I wanted something light and easy after coming off reading The Secret History. Maybe it was the cover, or just that I hadn’t actually read the full blurb, but I was expecting a friendly tale of a confused youth, maybe some unrequited love, something a bit Hornby-ish! And while this is have some of these elements, like it is extremely funny, it’s also much, much darker than I was expecting, for every laugh there is a moment that will bring you back down. The character of...more

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