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The Gap Year

by Sarah Bird (Goodreads Author)

3.31 of 5 stars 3.31 · rating details · 870 ratings · 200 reviews

From the widely praised author of The Yokota Officers Club and The Flamenco Academy, a novel as hilarious as it is heartbreaking about a single mom and her seventeen-year-old daughter learning how to let go in that precarious moment before college empties the nest.

In The Gap Year, told with perfect pitch from both points of view, we meet Cam Lightsey, lactation consultan...more

Hardcover, 302 pages

Published July 5th 2011 by Knopf

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May 25, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm having trouble rating this book. Three stars seems too low, but four too high. I enjoyed it, the writing was solid, but it didn't blow me away. This story centers around Cam, a lactation consultant and single mother and her daughter, Aubrey. The author allows each character to tell their story by alternating chapters in their own voice. Cam's story is in the present, while Aubrey's story is one year prior. The story centers around Aubrey's senior year of high school and her mom wanting her t...more

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May 24, 2012 Lori Anaple rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chic-lit, beach-reads, 2012

Things would be so much simpler if these silly teens would just tell their mothers and/or fathers about what is going on in their lives! I get that you want independence, but Come ON! With the serious shit that Tyler is living he would appreciate the fact that Cam would totally dote on him too! But nooooo, the girl is afraid to bring the clanger down on the plan. The mother would just blow a nut. No way could this woman ever understand. I bet she would have. Especially if Aubry would just talk t...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

My review for Library Journal:

Traditionally, a gap year is a year taken by a young adult after secondary school and before starting college. However, in Bird’s latest novel, the title alludes to the break in a mother-daughter relationship during the daughter’s senior year of high school. Single mom Camilla feels her daughter, Aubrey, beginning to pull away from her, especially after Aubrey embarks on a romance with classmate Tyler. Add in the sudden reappearance of Aubrey’s father, who years ago

...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fluff

Lactation consultant, single mother, and judgmental control freak Cam struggles with her daughter Aubrey’s emotional distance during her last year at home. The story alternates between the beginning of Aubrey’s senior year of high school (2009) and the days just prior to her scheduled departure to college (2010), and between mother’s and daughter’s points of view. Band geek Aubrey has an awkward meeting with football star Tyler, which leads to friendship and then romance. Aubrey lies to her moth...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Gap Year was an interesting read and addressed some of the obstacles an empty nester, in particular, a single mother sending her one and only daughter off into the wide world of college. The book is written in alternating POV between mother and daughter. Not only is the writing style and attitude different, but so is the font which is wonderful for the visual reader.

The book addresses a common practice of taking a year off of school before starting college which I had two problems with: a)...more The Gap Year was an interesting read and addressed some of the obstacles an empty nester, in particular, a single mother sending her one and only daughter off into the wide world of college. The book is written in alternating POV between mother and daughter. Not only is the writing style and attitude different, but so is the font which is wonderful for the visual reader.

The book addresses a common practice of taking a year off of school before starting college which I had two problems with: a) that's not really what it is about but that is the way Cam, the mother, chooses to frame it and b) the school counselor in me knows the statistics of students who take a year off before starting college. 80% do not start college after that one year. Obviously, I don't advocate a gap year for any student unless there are special circumstances like service for a church or organization which seems to clash directly with Cam's viewpoint and opinion.

Although Cam is not opposed to a gap year and even imagines Aubrey serving in a third world country, her point of view is often tainted towards "the establishment" of any kind, including organized religion. It starts out small with tiny jabs at certain churches then expands to a thinly veiled description of Christian Science. 16 years ago Cam's husband, Martin, sold his soul to join a cult called Next. He chose the church over his family and didn't look back. Until he reaches out to get to know Aubrey but he can not reveal this connection to this Next church or bad things will happen to a trust account.

Admittedly, I know very little about Christian Science and what I do know I disagree with on many levels. I won't get into the issues of doctrinal discussion or cult-like indoctrination because I don't know the whole picture. Therefore, I am unqualified to defend or attack the church/cult or whatever it may be. I realize it is an integral part of the story as the indoctrination of Martin is the catalyst for him to leave what matters most to pursue truth and enlightenment. It seemed that the attitude for organized religion and, in particular, smaller religions were referred to in a derisive manner. I understand the concept of life crapping all over you and feeling angry at the God I had been taught to love and questioning the tenets of the church I had grown up in. On the other hand, I also have a deep respect for any religion or otherwise organization that provides understanding to a person and puts pieces of their lives into a more manageable and understandable form. Tom Cruise and his public attack on Brooke Shields choice to take medication for her postpartum depression? In my mind, he's a complete idiot who could use some empathy training. That does not negate the good others have found in the same organization.

I know. Big diatribe but it bothered me enough to include it in my review.

Lest the above diatribe is distracting to you, let me assure you that the author is a brilliant writer. There were nuggets of true wisdom interspersed throughout the book that left me in a profound stupor and a highlighter in my hand. The Gap Year is much more about the generational gap and the gap in the roles of mothers and daughters. Mothers will contrive a reality to fit their dreams for their daughters. They might even try to live vicariously through their own children. there are extreme examples which were a little unbelievable like the boyfriend being a mega superstar football player who came out of a heinous childhood which he eventually reveals. The juxtaposition is a little too extreme. Hippie Mama who is forced to grow up but secretly wants to rock out to ABBA and Bruce Springsteen and probably even Leif Garrett and Danny Bonaducci. She creates a contrived future for her daughter and tries to live vicariously through her simple force of nature. I can relate to that. Not really living vicariously because I had a great few years at college but more involved in the choices my daughters are going to make. But ultimately, they will still do what they want to do.

So it's a mixed review. It is a well written book scattered with words of wisdom but also includes a story that seemed a little weak and characters I never really liked very much. It addresses issues that are important but I've read other books that I felt hit more on the mark. It's a good book but I didn't love it.
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Jul 20, 2011 Lauren Fidler rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ty-mo, dysfunctional-family-drama, mother-daughter-drama, plain-jane-gets-hot-boy, poorly-named-characters, what-a-bunch-of-assholes

i am on the fence with this one.

Bird's novel moves back and forth between Cam (the crazy mother) in the present and Aubrey (the bitch daughter) in the past. We get Cam trying to get her daughter to pick up some trust fund money left to her by her father before he joined a Scientology-esque cult named "Next" (don't worry, assholic, abandoning daddy comes back later on). Aubrey is explaining to us how she met Tyler, who appears to be a cross between every role Brad Pitt has ever played, the star f...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, from-publisher-author

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Cam, a lactation consultant and single mother, can no longer connect with her daughter, Aubrey. Aubrey's father ran away to join the circus, a cult like religion when she was just three and although she is left with a trust fund for college, the two have had no real contact. Just as Aubrey is approaching her senior year, she meets the school football star and hottie, Tyler. As a band geek, Aubrey and Tyler should have never met, much alone fall in love, so as the two become cl...more MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Cam, a lactation consultant and single mother, can no longer connect with her daughter, Aubrey. Aubrey's father ran away to join the circus, a cult like religion when she was just three and although she is left with a trust fund for college, the two have had no real contact. Just as Aubrey is approaching her senior year, she meets the school football star and hottie, Tyler. As a band geek, Aubrey and Tyler should have never met, much alone fall in love, so as the two become closer, Cam is left wondering what happened to her perfect, conscientious daughter who had everything planned out in life. Or were the plans really Cam's and not Aubrey's?

As Cam tries to get her daughter's attention to complete the scholarship and trust fund paperwork to make the initial tuition payments, Aubrey disappears. Not completely, but Aubrey starts avoiding Cam. So as Cam spirals into self doubt over her daughter and her daughter's new relationship, her ex, Martin appears, somewhat out of nowhere. Aubrey and Tyler have started a business serving fusion cuisine out of an Airstream trailer in the reclaimed trendy section of the city. Martin helps to get the business off the ground through social media and without the knowledge of the kids.

The story is told in alternating chapters between mother and daughter and you can see how each is right in their thinking. Aubrey wants to make her own decisions and Cam is having issues letting go. With Martin inserted back into the picture, everything becomes even more entangled. I thought the characters were well drawn and the plot mostly believable. I can see how an eighteen year old would want to choose her own direction in life and how a mother would have issues letting go, especially when it had only been the two of them for so long. I was glad to see Aubrey combine the wishes of both her parents as well as how much she grew into her own person. Even Cam grew up a little bit. This book would make an excellent transition for teens looking for something to bridge the gap between teen contemporary fiction and more adult novels.
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Nov 02, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, contemporary-fiction, family-drama

In a way this book is hard to rate. It is highly readable and has snappy, fun dialogue. It is a dual narrative with mother (present day) and daughter (one year ago) and while I think it’s necessary to the story, and the structure keeps the reader guessing about what’s *really* going on, for some reason it bothered me in a way I can’t quite put my finger on. I think I didn’t like the daughter’s narrative as much as the mom’s, funny quips aside, even though I do think it was necessary to the plot....more

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Sep 19, 2011 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Gap Year is a story about transition told from two perspectives. First, single mother, lactation consultant and full-time dreamer, Camille's storyline begins in the summer/fall of 2010, as she struggles with her relationship with her daughter after a year of disappointment and confusion. Camille is struggling with two main feelings: regret and confusion. Regret because she fears her life has been filled with wrong choices: the wrong man, the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood, the wrong j...more
The Gap Year is a story about transition told from two perspectives. First, single mother, lactation consultant and full-time dreamer, Camille's storyline begins in the summer/fall of 2010, as she struggles with her relationship with her daughter after a year of disappointment and confusion. Camille is struggling with two main feelings: regret and confusion. Regret because she fears her life has been filled with wrong choices: the wrong man, the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood, the wrong job, the wrong friends. Camille has confidence in very little, it seems. And yet, she is overcome with confusion because as she tries to guide and help her daughter into adulthood it seems that nothing she does helps point her daughter in any direction except exactly where Camille hoped she would not go. Enter, Aubrey: The second storyline is told from Camille's daughter, Aubrey's perspective and begins a year earlier. Aubrey's school year begins with heat exhaustion and throwing up on the small town football hero, Tyler. Aubrey's perspective is "the other side of the story" as she explores new found independence, confidence and the possibilities of the future. The book continues on this dual time storyline, with Aubrey's storyline quickly moving through the months of her senior year, while Camille's storyline moves by hours or days. Because of this time scale difference, the back and forth becomes a little confusing between the two perspectives (and shame on you, Knopf for not catching two wrong dates. Seriously? One story line is told in 2009, and one in 2010. And it was wrong on 2 different chapters. There were also a few really sloppy sentences. Yikes. Poor editing, indeed.). There are other story lines about the deadbeat father, a trust fund, a wacky best friend and her daughter, and Camille's career as a lactation consultant, but they were pretty weak and not worth explaining.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it. But it's a quick read and not nearly as funny as How Perfect is That. Too bad.(less)

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Feb 17, 2012 Kaye rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started this book and thought how glad I was that I had 3 sons...no mother/daughter drama. But then I realized that I am a daughter and had this same "breaking away" conflict with my mom. I looked at that time through the eyes of this mother and it made me stop and reflect on those years. It was so interesting to see how the same event could be interpreted completely differently by the two people involved. And honestly, I had this kind of relationship with one of my sons....my expectations wer...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book has some very funny parts, but most of those I had already heard or read at the author's book signing. I loved meeting the author and hearing her speak and read excerpts from her book. Sarah Bird is very entertaining in person. And she served cocktails! But since I read the book after seeing her, it felt like one of those movies where the only good parts turn out to be what you already saw in the "coming attractions" trailer.

It is a quick easy read, just not quite the mom-of-a-high-scho...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction

I hesitated between giving this book 2 stars or 3 stars. I would like to give it 2.5 stars. The plot revolves around a single mom who moved to the suburbs, despite her distaste for the conformity of the suburbs, to make sure her daughter got the best education and childhood experience possible. Now it is time for her daughter to be going off to college but over the past year her daughter has been derisively moving away from her and resisting her efforts to get her to college and away from what t...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Diane Wilkes rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember picking up THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL one night when I was sick. It held my attention despite my severe intestinal pain and I read it until I was finished. I have read it multiple times and it is in my top five books of all time. I read all of Bird's other published books (ALAMO HOUSE, THE MOMMY CLUB) and as each one came out, I read them all--except THE FLAMENCO ACADEMY, which I just could not get into.

Until HOW PERFECT IS THAT came out, I thought her books were getting progressively wors...more I remember picking up THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL one night when I was sick. It held my attention despite my severe intestinal pain and I read it until I was finished. I have read it multiple times and it is in my top five books of all time. I read all of Bird's other published books (ALAMO HOUSE, THE MOMMY CLUB) and as each one came out, I read them all--except THE FLAMENCO ACADEMY, which I just could not get into.

Until HOW PERFECT IS THAT came out, I thought her books were getting progressively worse, but that one was excellent. But I had given up on the idea that Bird would ever write anything that would deeply enchant me again--and then...THE GAP YEAR. I just finished it after reading it as feverishly as I had read THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL. The story of a single mother raising a daughter, the narrative is written by each in more-or-less alternating chapters. (Sometimes the narrator gets an extra entry or two.)

Mother Cam is a lactation expert who has raised her child selflessly, adoring her and trying to give her the best values as opposed to the priciest clothes. Martin, her husband, left to join a religious cult similar to Scientology, which has made the job of mothering much harder. Aubrey is an incredibly wise and individualistic young adult--her mother's daughter--who seems to have become disenchanted with the idea of going to college (her mother's dream and sacrifice for her). Most important, Aubrey is trying to truly become her own person and not live her life for her mother.

I will not traipse down Spoiler's Lane, but I promise you will get some interesting and wonderful surprises if you decide to journey into THE GAP YEAR for yourself. You will also laugh out loud--a lot. Let me tempt you with a morsel of amusement:

"My mother's celebrity vegetation euphoria makes me crave a cheeseburger, and I go outside where a grill has been set up for sad outcast carnivores like me. I decide that the diversity group I'd organize would be dedicated to bacon..."

I love when a book is funny and wise and insightful, and this one is all three. I hated for the book to end. I want to personally thank Ms. Bird for giving a little hint at the end of the book instead of leaving us hanging in 2010. I felt way too close to the characters to be left hanging. (less)

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Apr 13, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had high hopes connecting to this book. Having recently sent my daughter off to college and enduring that cliche oh-my-god-I-cant-wait-until I'm-outta-here senior year, I was looking forward to connecting to Aubrey and her Mom, Camilla, single Mom and lactation consultant. Unfortunately, The Gap Year had a few 'gaps' for me. I never felt truly committed to either character. While I could emphathize with Cam as a single,working Mom, I felt she had her blinders up a bit to high to realistically...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-or-frivolity

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is told from two perspectives: mother and daughter. It covers the daughter's senior year in high school and the following summer, during which her mother nags the crap out of her to go to college, and she clearly has no interest or intention of going. Meanwhile, the dad, who ran off and joined some wacky cult when the daughter was maybe 6 or 8, reappears.

The book starts with the mom's perspective, and she's almost completely intolerable. Victimization, blame, judging, whining, regret,...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, family-relationships, womens-fiction

Told from two points of view: a mom, and her 17-year old honour student daughter Aubrey, who (from the mom's point of view) "falls off the rails" and suddenly bails out of going to college at the last minute in order to start a business with her "bad" new boyfriend. I thought at first this was going to be too light and fluffy, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it; it was very funny and perfectly reflected the relationship between a mom and her teenage daughter. An extremely f...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Kristin Strong rated it 4 of 5 stars

After skimming a few of the reviews of this book on Goodreads, I think I may have read it with a different focus than some other readers. Maybe it's because I'm the mother of a tween daughter who one day (too soon for me, probably!) will begin to think about her future in very concrete terms, and, less theoretically than she does now, about the type of human being and woman she wants to become. The divergence of a mother's and daughter's ideas about these vital topics was the core of the book fo...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, i-adore-extremely-flawed-characters

Dreams. Growing up. Relationships. Food Trucks. Cults. Secrets. Lactation Coaches. Decision-making.

I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this tale of a mother-daughter relationship, told from both point-of-views. Told in a non-linear fashion, you learn about a mother and daughter trying to deal with their relationship, as well as forming new ones with others. Really well done as even with tension between the characters you really felt for both Aubrey and Cam, no matter what they were doing to each...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a gorgeous book for anyone who has experienced the love, pain, regrets, and self-doubt brought on by family--whether you are parent or child. Gap Year is both a real and clearly drawn portrait of the thrills and wounds of first love and becoming an adult; and a heartbreaking picture of a parent's second-guessing, disappointed hopes, and frustrated, all-consuming love as a child comes of age. Bird is always at her best with the beautiful depiction of real, everyday emotions in a way that'...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Christi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

It took me a long time to get into this book and to really feel like I had a good understanding of the characters.

The mother's point of view is told in the present and the daughter's point of view is from one year earlier. It can get confusing in the middle of a chapter to remember who is the focus. I know there is a change of font but that only registers when you get a section with the mother talking on the left and the daughter on the right.

This book focuses on a volatile relationship between...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Gwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

A balanced story of present and past, mom and daughter, as both pieces move towards the same point, to explain how we got here. The sacrifices parents make for children are as invisible, both to the children and the parents, as those the children make for the parents. In this case, the stories of mother, divorced and long-gone father, and daughter present a light facade for deeper and darker parent/suburban anxieties about individuality, following the "right" path, finding one's self, foster par...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good Girl HS student Audrey meets a seemingly bad boy, and her mom gets upset in this novel of alternating viewpoints. The mom is a nurse who helps new mothers learn to breast feed. Her best friend Dori is estranged from her daughter Twyla. And the mother, Cam, doesn't talk to her ex husband, who has joined a cult and not spoken to his daughter. The book's perspectives also take place in different time periods. I started reading this and was drawn into it at first, but I was very busy this week...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Caroline M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cam is full of regrets about her daughter Aubrey's childhood: she wasn't able to breastfeed; she was a single mom (her husband abandoned the family for a cult); she left the vibrant city for a safer suburb; and now, as Aubrey is supposed to be leaving for college, the two are barely speaking. Narrated in alternating chapters by Cam and Aubrey, The Gap Year explores how this fissure has risen between the pair. Despite the potentially melancholy material, the novel is often incredibly funny, thank...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Carolyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great Mother Daughter story!One chapter gives mothers viewpoint next chapter daughters veiwpoint. The book depicted accurately the relationship of two people who love each other pulling away to become idividuals. As mothers we have to trust that what we instill in our daughters is still there waiting to surface again.

The best quote was on page one;"The anchor or the arrow?"
It remided me of the thought that if you love someone set them free.

I read it in one setting; five hours. I couldn't put it...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Joan Cornish rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was so annoyed by the mother in this book that I stopped reading it several times. However her character did evolve. I can't believe that all single mothers are so incredibly intertwined (only on the mothers part) with their daughters. Perhaps it is my old age showing, but didn't this women realoize that daughters grow up and separate from their parents. I have never been divorced but carrying on a hatred for her ex for 16 years seems to be excessive. I do know some people who have done this,...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Kim McGee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy Sarah Bird's books and eagerly wait for the insane giggling I find myself doing but The Gap Year is not a typical Bird book. As a mother of two young adult girls I saw myself on almost every page and could understand the feelings of the mom yet I appreciated the daughter's point of view almost as much. It is a quieter book and one that every mother and daughter should read - together hopefully to open an open lines of communication. Sarah Bird is softening the edges and while I mi...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Bonnie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This book has a great premise and lots of potential: a single mother and daughter go through some growing pains and typical adolescent shtuff during the daughter's senior year of high school. Here's a simple list of what I liked and disliked.
Pros:
*Written alternately through the mother's and daughter's points of view, every adult will be able to commiserate with both the daughter (whose mother is maddeningly nosy and out of touch) and the mother (trying desperately to connect with her progeny w...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Maddi Sojourner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I really enjoyed this novel, from the viewpoint of a single mom of a recent high school graduate, and the daughter while she is still experiencing her senior year. Sarah Bird did a terrific job with the lagged viewpoint of the daughter, and one of the book's strengths is Bird's ability to reframe our expectations again and again from both the viewpoint change and the time difference. The mother is Cam, a lactation consultant whose husband abandoned her to a Scientology-like cult, and she is deal...more I really enjoyed this novel, from the viewpoint of a single mom of a recent high school graduate, and the daughter while she is still experiencing her senior year. Sarah Bird did a terrific job with the lagged viewpoint of the daughter, and one of the book's strengths is Bird's ability to reframe our expectations again and again from both the viewpoint change and the time difference. The mother is Cam, a lactation consultant whose husband abandoned her to a Scientology-like cult, and she is dealing with her daughter's disinterest and passive-aggressive refusal to get ready to move off to college. The daughter, Aubrey begins her story at marching band camp and we learn everything that led to the standoff with her mom on college, her boyfriend, and why Aubrey made so many changes in her life that year.

Things get more complicated when we find out that the father, who was out of his family's life for almost 15 years, has begun communicating with his daughter via Facebook.

One of the things my book club liked about the book is that there weren't any bad guys in the story. People may not have made the right choices, but none of them did so because of maliciousness, although we had quite a discussion over what would lead the father, Martin, to abandon his wife and young child to be swallowed up by a cult. There are several good supporting characters in the book as well, including Cam's best friend Dori. There's plenty of tension, not only from Cam's struggles as a single mom whose daughter is drifting away, but from her feeling she doesn't belong in the suburb she sacrificed so much to move to. Her rejection by the other moms was painful to experience, and Parkhaven seems somewhat Stepford-like in this framing.

Quite a lot to think about, especially as many of us have children in or about to begin high school. Cam had a tremendous amount of difficulty in recognizing what kind of person her daughter was becoming, or had been all along.

The story is enjoyable, and it's a quick read. Great book for a book club. We were fortunate in that one of our members won free copies of the book for our club, and we all enjoyed this one so much we will probably want to read another Sarah Bird in the near future.(less)

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Mar 02, 2012 Laura de Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mcbook

Oh dear.

The characters and situations seemed so plausible that they have me looking at my daughter's upcoming high school years with immense terror.

None the less, I very much enjoyed reading this book.

The keys to this book were the characters, particularly the main mother daughter pair, and the intricate weaving of their stories.

I genuinely liked both Cam and Aubrey, even if I wanted to grab each of them and point out exactly what they were doing to screw up their lives. There were plenty of th...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Estelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-2011, adult-fiction

Originally reviewed on Rather Be Reading Blog

Once in awhile I am lucky enough to read a book I cannot stop thinking about. I want to send carrier pigeons and take out an ad on TV just to inform people of its pure genius. After reading over 90 books so far this year, The Gap Year easily fits in my Top 5 of 2011.

First, writing style – Bird alternates chapters between Mom (Cam) at present day and daughter (Aubrey) exactly a year before. The imagery is crisp and the sentence structure flows perfectl...more

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About Sarah Bird

"The Gap Year" is going to be published July 2011
My latest novel, "The Gap Year," will be published July 5th by Alfred A. Knopf. My previous novels are:
Alamo House
Boyfriend School
Mommy Club
Virgin of the Rodeo
Yokota Officers Club
Flamenco Academy
How Perfect Is That
I've been a columnist for Texas Monthly for the past six years.
Awards include a Dobie-Paisano Fellowship; a National Magazine Award; Ell...more

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Quotes from The Gap Year

“Going beyond sarcasm straight to out-and-out insult is delicious, like wriggling out of a pair of Spanx.” — 2 people liked it

“So much is exploding inside of me that I feel like a bag of Orville Redenbacher's in the microwave. Too much has happened all at once. I stagnated for years with nothing happening, and now, all in one day, too much is happening.” — 1 person liked it

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