One Friday in Napa by Jennifer Hamm (Review by Stephanie Rowitz)

Rating: 3/5

Vene and her mother, Olivia, have always had a strained relationship. Olivia, who Vene describes as cold and judgmental, has never approved of Vene’s choices. When Vene returns to Napa to say goodbye to her dying mother, she comes across Olivia’s old cookbook, discovers the free, loving woman she was before Vene was born, and realizes that she may have more in common with her mother than she originally thought.

Told in alternating chapters fifty years apart, the reader witnesses the defining moments that shaped these characters while highlighting the parallels between Vene and Olivia’s lives.

I think the author did a great job of showing the reader why there’s such a disconnect between Vene and Olivia. It’s also very easy to understand why Vene is independent, yet still longs for her mother’s approval. The mother-daughter relationship is a difficult one to capture adequately in a book, but I think this author illustrated that complexity and nuance well. I also liked that while the reader gets a complete story, nothing is tied up in a bow at the end. Vene will continue learning more about her mother, and herself, long after her mother has passed away.

My only critique is that I wanted to see more conversations between mother and daughter while Olivia was on her deathbed. Vene comes back to Napa hoping to reconcile with her mother before she dies, but she spends a lot of time chasing down other people and spending time alone to make sense of her mother’s story instead of talking to her directly. While we rarely get those heart-to-heart conversations in real life, I wanted that from this book, and I was a little disappointed Vene didn’t get more closure.

All in all, One Friday in Napa is a somber tale of mothers and daughters and the ties that bind us forever. Be prepared for complex emotions to stir up while reading this book.