Book Review:

I was lucky enough to be able to engage in conversation with the talented and charismatic Laurie Frankel at my latest book club meeting where we discussed her moving new novel, One Two Three. The group gave this amazing book rave reviews and we thoroughly enjoyed our discussion with Laurie.

One Two Three is a story told by teenage triplet girls, Mab, Monday and Mirabel, living in a small town with their mother, Nora, the town therapist and bar maid. Many years earlier a chemical plant polluted the water and caused major damage to the people residing there.  Nora has been fighting for justice since the beginning; her daughters show developmental and physical signs of poisoning, yet they are fully accepted in their community and live full and typical teenager lives. When it seems like that chemical plant is rearing its ugly head again close to two decades later, the town does not fighting back successfully so the triplets come together to put an end to additional damage and suffering they could caused, their way. 

With the charisma of a tight knit community and passion Erin Brockovich style, author Laurie Frankel shows us how to stand up for what you believe in and accept a wider range of normalcy. Taking action with this outlook in a community breeds kindness, confidence and aids in understanding and communication amongst everyone. No matter who you are, you have the ability to fight for what is right and work together with others to achieve and accomplish. One Two Three is a compelling story about environmental injustice and the people caring for each other in a small community.

Reading Laurie Frankel’s books change how we look at each other and the world and I especially recommend This Is How It Always Is and One Two Three!

A Few Tid Bits About Laurie Frankel

She studied Shakespeare in graduate school and never took a writing class!

She read a newspaper article about a small town in West Virginia with a similar problem to chemical poisoning where there was a 25 year lawsuit and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Laurie believes people are weird and quirky, and if we expand out thoughts about what is normal, pushing the limits for a wider range of normal/acceptance, the world would be a more accepting and happier place.

When writing the chapters, she tried to give each sister the same amount of time, so when one chapter was added or deleted, three had to be added or deleted. This made for challenges during the editing process. Mirabel’s chapters were the longest because she told her mother’s story as well as her own.

Laurie hopes people feel empowered and inspired when walking away from this book. She believes just because you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel or the odds are stacked against you, there is a way through. Sometimes you can’t do it the way it is always done, but  it is possible; just find your own way and look someplace different.

Book Recommendations by Laurie Frankel

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles

The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe

The Porpoise by Mark Haddon

All’s Well by Mona Awad

About the Author

Laurie Frankel is the New York Times Bestselling author of four novels, ONE TWO THREE, published on June 8, 2021, THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS, GOODBYE FOR NOW, and THE ATLAS OF LOVE. She lives with her family on a very steep hill in Seattle, but she’s an east coaster at heart. She is also a baseball fan, a soup maker, a theater lover, a yoga practicer, a comma expert, and a huge reader. Welcome!!