The Whole World Over

by Julia Glass

The Whole World Over is a large novel of many stories, many characters, and many, many words. In summary:

Greenie: the chef who leaves her husband in New York to work for the governor of New Mexico
Alan: Greenie's depressed therapist husband, left behind in New York
Saga/Emily: the mysterious young woman whose accident has left her memory-less
Walter: the homosexual owner of a restaurant who takes in his teenaged nephew

All of these people (and plenty of secondary characters) become involved with each other as each one strives to find his/her place in the world.

I liked Greenie's descriptions of food, but I did not like Greenie. In fact, with so many things going on in this novel, it was difficult to become attached to any one character or story. All in all, I was disappointed.

7/3/06