REVIEW:

Reasons to read One Two Three, Laurie Frankel’s much-anticipated new novel following the success of her beloved This Is How It Always Is:

1. Mab. The first triplet born to Nora, named with one syllable, who at 16 years old loves with all her heart while carrying the burden and guilt of being the “normal” one.

2. Monday. The second triplet, two syllables, lover of books, defender of truth, physically capable but mentally and emotionally unique.

3. Mirabel. Third triplet, three syllables, insightful, empathetic, and eloquent but confined to a body that doesn’t work, only able to communicate through the tap of a finger or a robotic-sounding AAC device, and my favorite literary character of the last several years.

These three young women are the bright shining lights of this story about a small town dealing with the aftermath of Big Factory chemical pollution. Frankel has set them up to be the super heroes of her tale, the purveyors of justice. While I frequently winced when the action veered too close to Scooby Doo “meddling kids” territory, I never stopped rooting for them to topple their Goliath.

I received advance copies of the e-book and audiobook from Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio, respectively, via NetGalley. Both formats are recommended, with the audiobook benefiting from three distinct narrators and the inclusion of Mirabel’s AAC device for her dialogue. One Two Three is slated for US publication on June 8, 2021.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

How do you let go of the past when the past won't let go of you?

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed — tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her underwear drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green and was declared unfit for use, but it was too late for its residents, and the girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive and taking on a system stacked against them. And in a town where nothing ever changes, suddenly everything does.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.