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The Wide Smiles of Girls
Jennifer Manske Fenske, 2009
St. Martin's Press
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780312379919
In Brief
Sisters Mae Wallace and March are two years apart, and worlds away from being anything alike. Mae Wallace is the dependable, older sister, who weighs her words before she speaks, and sees the world as a project to be saved. March, happily overweight and charismatic, has the world on a string. Babies, men, and teachers love March, and she loves them right back. Mae Wallace doesn’t so much live in her sister’s shadow as be amused by it, and generally try to manage her younger sister’s scrapes.
But a tragic accident tears them apart, and all of a sudden the vivacious March is incapacitated and Mae Wallace bears the guilt from the incident. Relocated to a small island-town in South Carolina where March undergoes therapy, Mae Wallace befriends a local artist who is still grieving his wife’s mysterious death. As the two become closer, their mutual pain turns into a budding friendship. But Mae Wallace must free herself from guilt if she’s ever to live and love again—and March must grapple with the loss of her vibrant self, and accept the new realities of her life and sisterhood./
The Wide Smiles of Girls is a poignant ode to the bond of two sisters, the grief we sometimes have to overcome, and the redemptive power of love that can make us smile again. (From the publisher.)
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About the Author
• Birth—N/A
• Education—B.A., Clemson University; M.A., State University
of New York, Stony Brook
• Currently—lives outside Denver, Colorado, USA
Jennifer Manske Fenske is the author of the novel, Toss the Bride. Her essays have been published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arizona Republic, and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as well as New Parent and The Lutheran magazines.
Jennifer is a graduate of Clemson University, where she studied fiction writing with Mark Steadman. She received her M.A. degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and was a student of Richard Elman's fiction workshop. After graduation, Jennifer worked at several writing jobs, including newspaper reporter, website content developer, and scribe for an international nonprofit agency.
She lives outside of Denver, Colorado with her husband and two young daughters. (From the publisher.)
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(Q & A from the author's website)
Q: Where did you get the inspiration for The Wide Smiles of Girls?
A few years ago, I found myself in Pensacola, Florida, traveling across a new bridge that was next to an older bridge in the process of being dismantled. Someone had created a sign and attached it to the old bridge with the words, "Miss Your Lips Ruth." It struck me as poetic and I jotted it down in my writing notebook. Many months later, I began to imagine who painted those words. Was he lovesick? Grieving? And how did he climb up on the bridge?
Q: Do you get along with your sister? And does she ever go horseback riding with you?
I adore my sister. She works in the magazine industry in New York, and she is about as far away from March as one could imagine. And although I am not really like Mae Wallace, I used my love for my own sister as a model for the sisters' relationship in the novel. Mae Wallace truly loves her sister, and that's why their damaged relationship bothers her so.
As for horses, that was kind of my thing growing up. I still try to ride whenever I can but I have resisted owning a horse. I simply don't have enough time to devote to the care they require.
Q: Was it hard to write your second novel?
I seem to have this habit of making babies and publishing books at the same time. So, yes, it was difficult to write while pregnant, working and then raising my first daughter. I was half done with Wide Smiles when I found out we were expecting another child. I made it my goal to finish the book before the baby arrived. I made it, but the editing process was a lot slower this go round. For the first time in my writing life, I had to ask for more time from my editor. Lucky for me, she is extremely patient and understanding.
The hardest times were in the first trimester with my second daughter, and I had worked all day and would come home to an energetic toddler. The word "zombie-like" comes to mind. I think I fell asleep most nights at 8 p.m. There wasn't much writing being done in those days.
The actual writing was fast, as the story unspooled onto the page. I could have written an entire novel about Ruth. I really love her and Hale's relationship, but the story Mae Wallace had to tell spoke to me, too.
Q: This is your second book featuring an artist. What gives?
I am married to Jonathan Fenske, a visual artist who exhibits his paintings out of a gallery in Atlanta. Art is an important topic in our house, although Jonathan and I joke that we want our daughters to be bankers or dentists. It's hard to make a living as an artist, and we want them to have an easier life.
That being said, we talk a lot about art, architecture and writing. Jonathan is also my biggest inspiration for continuing to get up and write. My books would not exist without him, it's as simple as that.
I was thinking the other day that it would be neat if Jonathan created some of Hale's work from the novel. I would love to see what My Neighbor at the Bridge, Quick to Save looks like. I know how I imagine it in my mind, but it would be fascinating to get my husband's take on it.
Critics Say . . .
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Book Club Discussion Questions
1. As Mae Wallace approaches Langdon Island, she encounters a strange new place, road construction, and the mysterious Miss Your Lips Ruth signs. Discuss the trials that await her. Have you ever started over in an unknown place?
2. The first part of the novel introduces Mae Wallace and March's late childhood, college, and post-college years. In what ways does Mae Wallace show her love for her sister? In what ways does she reinforce March's irresponsibility?
3. How would you characterize Mae Wallace and March's relationship? What kind of sister is March? Do you think she understands Mae Wallace's desperation at the rift in their relationship?
4. Mae Wallace seeks out a career in the non-profit world. Why do you think she does this? How does Mae Wallace's devotion to various "causes" affect her life? What about those around her?
5. The "lovely and talented Ruth" consumes much of Hale's thoughts, yet he is ready by novel's end to move on with his life. Discuss why March seems only mildly threatened by Ruth. Why do you think Hale is attracted to March? How is she different from Ruth?
6. What is the significance of the title, The Wide Smiles of Girls? In what ways does the sisters' idyllic childhood help or hamper their ability to relate to each other as adults?
7. Mae Wallace has trouble telling others what she feels. In what ways does this affect the relationship she has with Hale? Discuss why you think Hale and Mae Wallace form an important bond. Do you know someone like Mae Wallace? Like Hale?
8. Ruth is known and unknown in the book. Why do you think Mae Wallace is so fascinated with Ruth? In your family life, is there a relative you have never met who is fascinating to you?
9. Langdon Island forms an important touchstone for the sisters. In what ways is it a prison and a place of healing or something in between? What is the island for Hale?
10. Discuss Vince and Mae Wallace's relationship. Does he give Mae Wallace room to grieve her sister's accident or is he justifiably impatient with her conflicting emotions? Does her treatment of Vince seem understandable or is Mae Wallace cruel to her boyfriend?
11. Langdon is the scene of Hale's darkest hours. But it also gives him the inspiration for his bridge series paintings. Discuss how the bridge figures prominently into Hale's art and his personal tragedy.
12. Ruth's final climb is witnessed by many people, but only one woman sees her tragic end. Do you think Ellen will ever tell what she saw? How does Hale's uncertainty about Ruth's death affect him?
13. Discuss what happens to March and Hale after the novel ends. What happens to Mae Wallace? What might a sequel look like?
(Questions issued by publisher.)