Perhaps I would not have been so thoroughly bored by Fitzgerald and Hemingway had our classroom conversations explored less about male angst and more about what made these men so angsty. Maybe it’s not about putting these “boring” classics back on the shelf, but seeing what other books we can brush some dust off of.

Overall, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” is a great book, but I’m not surprised that it hasn’t stood the test of time. I’ve heard Kimberly Bellflower’s play, “John Proctor is the Villain,” described as a modern period piece, and I think it’s safe to describe “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” in the same way. “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” may have disappeared from the public view like Bernadette Fox herself, but it’s worth finding again — as long as you treat it as a product of 13 years ago.

Like so many young women in journalism, I am a Joan Didion devotee. Likewise, I am a major fan of Eve Babitz. While I admit some passages in “Black Swans” gave me a bit of a headache, I find her life and work enchanting. So, imagine my shock when a book about two of my literary favorites left me with a sour taste in my mouth.