All We Ever Wanted: Reading Guide and Review
The Pitch
In the Windsor community, everyone is seemingly perfect. Nina is a wealthy socialite that lives with her wealthy husband and adored son. At the surface level, life is great for Nina. Yet, she feels far from perfect. Her middle-class small-town roots make her wonder if she has strayed away from her true self.
One night, everything falls apart. Finch, Nina’s son, gets entangled in the hottest scandal of the Windsor community. One racy photograph is snapped at a party and spreads through the community like wildfire. The victim of the photograph is Lyla, a headstrong teenager who comes from the poorer parts of Nashville. She is desperate to “fit in,” but this photo only makes her stand out. Tom, a single father, must find out how to preserve his daughter’s dignity and navigate through parenthood. Nina faces the repercussions of the photograph as Finch’s mother and also calls into question her parenting style and relationships. Through this scandal, both Nina and Tom go down a road of self-discovery to find their values, wants, and needs.
Ultimately, Nina, Tom, and Lyla are pushed together — evaluating their close relationships, questioning their values, and finding the courage to seek out the truth.
My Thoughts
I could not put this book down. Even with midterms, I spent every free minute I had with my nose stuck in this book. All We Ever Wanted was the exact book I needed to help me escape the stressful exam season. It was beautifully written, and the storyline was extremely compelling. With the rise of social media and the #metoo movement, this book sheds light on some hot topics that are very on-par with modern day times.
For most of the novel, I asked myself, what would I do if this happened to me? I know that I would never condone discriminatory and abusive behavior. But I also know that I would do whatever I could to protect my loved ones. What if those two things contradict one another? How would I handle this problem?
It felt as though there was no right answer to solve this problem. The dilemma that Nina and Tom had to face put me on the edge of my seat. I, like Nina and Tom, began to question everything. Even with the right intentions, some things are miscommunicated. Nina thought she raised her son well. But, after the scandal, she called into question her parenting style and blamed his faults on herself. It’s a massive burden to take on, but that is what many people would do for the people they love.
My only critique of this novel is the execution of the discussion on the theme of racism. The novel briefly touched on the racist part of Finch’s actions, but it did not nearly get as much attention as I would have liked. There were moments where I forgot that there was a racist element associated with the scandal. It was overshadowed by the themes of privilege and self-worth. I think the novel would have been more impactful if Griffin focused her attention on a few key themes. It felt as though she was reaching to check off a bunch of other common issues faced in modern-day society. Nevertheless, her execution on the issues of privilege was extremely strong and powerful in this book.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I think it offers a refreshing take on some terrible problems that permeate modern-day times. Griffin’s writing style is one of my favorites. I’ll be reading more of her books very soon.
Reading Guide
Make sure to download the reading guide for some good discussion questions! I hope you like it.
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Emily
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