As a mother, wife, blogger and daughter, Allison Weiss is well-versed in responsibility. Between her “freelance” (read: time-consuming) gig writing on feminist issues and her adorable but tough young daughter, Allison’s days are a whirlwind of activity . . . and doubt. Though her life looks frame-worthy on the outside — big house in the suburbs; charming journalist husband; funny and independent kid — on the inside? Well, it’s a little more complicated.

As her father begins to succumb to Alzheimer’s and her mother, always aloof, starts to crumble, Allison foists that additional weight on her shoulders. Coupled with increasing online notoriety and distance from her husband, the pressure Allison feels to hold up her family begins to crack her facade. If she pops a few pain pills, remnants from an old Zumba injury, who is she really hurting? The meds make her feel calm, confident, in control. Drugs — prescription drugs, she always notes — erase the self-doubt that plagues her; they make her stronger. Better.

And so it goes . . . for a while. But when Allison’s life begins to veer uncontrollably, casting her into greater shadows as everything unravels, can she cope?

Jennifer Weiner’s All Fall Down is arguably the grittiest of her works to date. Don’t get me wrong: Allison is still the funny, strong heroine I’ve come to expect from one of my favorite authors, but it deals with some pretty complex and frightening issues. That’s what makes it so startling: Allison is an Everywoman. She has her problems, sure, but they’re nothing beyond the scope of what many women deal with every day. She admits this herself.

But her manner of coping . . .

In spending time with All Fall Down, one can’t help but realize we’re all addicted to something. Beyond obvious issues like alcohol and drug abuse, how many of us haven’t zoned out with a bag of cookies? Or an hour on Facebook? Or a Zulily shopping spree (free shipping until midnight!)? We all have our coping mechanisms, our ways of tuning out the stresses of the day to finally find some measure of peace.

Allison’s method happens to be destructive, nearly costing her everything she loves and holds dear. Just because she doesn’t follow the “typical” stereotype of a drug addict doesn’t mean she isn’t one, and I found her path to acceptance realistic and heartbreaking. She’s a little damaged on the inside, but who isn’t? Her descent into dependence is gradual enough that she doesn’t notice, and that’s what made it so chilling.

Despite its heavy subject matter, I couldn’t help whipping through Allison’s story. The descriptions of her battles with Eloise, her sweet but spirited daughter, made my heart race; her recollections of growing up with an emotionally unavailable mother were so painful. As she reaches out to her husband and receives little support in return, I really hurt for her. And the scenes and memories of her dad had me in tears.

Obviously the stresses compound to the point that she’s relying on narcotics just to function day-to-day, and she can’t keep her secrets — all fall down — forever. As everything began to crumble, I wanted to help. Do something. I felt like screaming at the characters to see what was happening, and the critical juncture at which someone notices what’s happening came as a serious relief to me.

Fast-paced and engrossing, All Fall Down is another winner from Weiner. Unlike her other novels, which tend to follow a variety of women linked by a common thread, Allison is our sole focus — and that worked really well for me. I read this book on vacation in California and couldn’t wait to retreat to our cabin to get a few more snippets before bed. Satisfying and thought-provoking, it’s a story I won’t soon forget.

4 out of 5!

Pub: June 17, 2014 • Goodreads • LibraryThing • Amazon • Author Website
Digital review copy provided by publisher in exchange for my honest review