You Made Me Love You

Lynne Perras teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

Joanna Goodman’s fast-paced and engaging second novel chronicles the
lives of three Canadian women, the Zarr sisters: Estelle, an aspiring
film editor working in Los Angeles, Jessie, a married mother of two
small children, and Emily, who lives in New York and is struggling to
find a profession about which she can feel passionate.

Romantic entanglements, excruciating life decisions, and the
intricacies of family dynamics abound in You Made Me Love You. Each
chapter is devoted to one of the characters and presents the dilemmas
that each faces—including Estelle’s choice of husband, Jessie’s
desire to leave her domestic situation, and Emily’s worries about her
future with her older live-in lover.

The author also includes chapters that concern the sisters’ parents,
Milton and Lilly, who are struggling with their own personal demons. As
Milton mourns the death of another woman who was the real love of his
life, Lilly tries to find a balance between interfering in her
daughters’ lives and maintaining her own interests. When major
life-changing events occur—a pregnancy, a death, a serious illness, a
wedding, and a divorce—both parents and children are forced to
re-examine their priorities.

Goodman’s witty novel expertly captures the life experiences of many
women today.