Sometimes it can be challenging for book discussion groups to
find titles that everyone can feel positive about: the English
major, the romance fan, the one in search of a happy ending.
Elizabeth Berg has gained a reputation for writing the kinds of
books that fill the bill: smart, literate novels that offer
opportunities for reflection and discussion while still remaining
fundamentally optimistic at the end of the day.

THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, Berg’s latest work, is no
exception. Given its subject matter, it’s a novel guaranteed
to speak to women (and some men) of a certain age. Its central
crisis is the rapidly-approaching 40th high school reunion of a
group of men and women in their late 50s. Each of them has his or
her own reasons for wanting to attend the reunion, and his or her
own expectations and hopes for what the reunion could possibly mean
for the future.

Dorothy Shauman, one of a group of popular girls in high school,
has been dieting, primping and preening her body to within an inch
of its life, all in the hopes of catching the eye of a boy she once
knew. That boy, though, is now a man caught in between a gorgeous
but annoying, much younger mistress, and a maddening yet desirable
wife --- and he’s hoping that the chance to attend the
reunion with his high school sweetheart might rekindle the flame of
his marriage. There’s also Lester Heseenpfeffer, the gentle
veterinarian who has always harbored a desire for the most
beautiful girl in their high school class; Lester himself has grown
out of his adolescent nerdiness and into quite a catch in his own
right. Candy Armstrong, the object of Lester’s desire, is
hiding a secret and has her own desperate reasons for wanting to
attend the reunion. And then there’s Mary Alice Mayhew, the
girl who was ruthlessly mocked by the popular kids, but isn’t
quite the shrinking violet everyone always assumed her to be.

Clearly, Berg is exploring --- and exploiting --- some pretty
fundamental high school stereotypes: the jock, the nerd, the shy
girl, the mean girl, the unattainable beauty. But she does so in a
way that will resonate with her primarily mature readers, those who
have seen for themselves that high school --- such a short period
of one’s life --- is both ultimately meaningless and deeply
meaningful in its long-lasting consequences. Berg’s
characters have been out of school for decades, but many of them
are still dealing with the remnants of their high school selves:
crumbling or struggling marriages, decades of disappointments,
indelible dents to their self-esteem or self-image.

At their reunion, Berg’s characters are also standing at
the crossroads of middle age and whatever comes after. They still
view themselves as sexual beings but are also aware --- many times
intimately so --- of their rapidly deteriorating bodies. They may
feel young inside, but reunions like this one are palpable
reminders of the passage of time; sometimes observing an aging peer
is a more brutal awakening than looking in a mirror.

There may be few surprises, few truly revelatory moments in THE
LAST TIME I SAW YOU. But there will be plenty of moments of
recognition, those small statements or scenes that will speak
wholeheartedly to Berg’s readers, whether they’re
contemplating their own landmark reunions or just the glimpse of
another gray hair or wrinkle. Berg’s novel acknowledges the
passage of time, grapples with it, and comes out on the other side
hopeful and optimistic. Her fans will gladly join her in this
journey.