You Wished It Might
Finally! A new empowering and satisfying novel for women and the concurious.
The other day I found myself wandering the aisles of my local library looking for a piece of fiction I could sink my teeth into over the holidays. Not too long into my browsing, I remembered why I’d all but given up on fiction lately: Every story, especially those geared toward female readers, runs the same sad course. Girl pines after guy, and suddenly a book that’s supposed to be about an empowered woman winds up being about a woman can’t find herself until she gets her guy. This is not material suitable for adult female consumption.
When someone can actually pull off a well-written romance novel featuring a complex, relatable female lead it’s rare. Which is why Lisa DePasquale’s debut novel, I Wish I Might, is the perfect gift for the female reader in your life this holiday season.
The first thing you learn about the novel’s protagonist, Caroline Presley, is that she’s smart. Too smart, perhaps, to still be the right hand to Lila Cutler, Editor-in-Chief of the cutting edge online women’s magazine Lilac. Also too smart to get caught up in the silly flirtations of her younger colleagues. Still, Caroline is settled, if convinced that, at nearly 40, she doesn’t truly matter to anyone. Until one night, when one wish would change her life forever.
To be sure, there are guys involved. However, unlike most romance novels, they’re fully formed characters with a real-life feel. Think: less “NCIS” and more DIY Network. DePasquale has as much of a penchant for strong bodies as sharp wits and navigates the Friend Zone dilemma with the kind of deft nuance unique to the GenX crowd. We meet guys who love dogs, but don’t worry they aren’t the John Cusack type. There are no lost boys in this crowd of relatable bachelors.
Fashionistas and politicos will also find themselves nodding along to DePasquale’s references, ranging from L’Occitane to Greg Gutfeld. The former director of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) from 2006 to 2011, DePasquale has clearly embraced Andrew Breitbart’s belief that “politics is downstream from culture.” I Wish I Might is stealth conservatism in action, covering topics ranging from Ivanka Trump’s fashion to media bias, and even the NRA. Thanks to a strong plotline nothing feels forced. Caroline herself avoids political labels, seeking instead to ensure that Lilac maintains a balanced viewpoint on everything from plus-size fashion to party politics.
Without giving away the ending, this is one book that does more than entertain the reader. In the era of armchair politics and angry Tweets, I Wish I Might inspires a return to the kind of considerate dialogue we haven’t seen since Buckley’s days. What’s more, the novel empowers its female readers to think twice about what it means to define yourself through the tired old tropes of career or romance.
Chick lit that’s actually about the chick, DePasquale’s first fiction venture follows her 2014 release Finding Mr. Righteous, a thirtysomething’s autobiographical account of dating and faith in D.C. She is also the author of The Social Justice Warrior Handbook: A Practical Survival Guide for Snowflakes, Millennials and Generation Z released earlier this year. (Review below.)
