Editor’s Note: “From the Crow’s Nest” is a bi-weekly column featuring authors and literary works from the Pacific Northwest.
I always find it difficult to approach literature that claims to tackle the unspoken burden that weighs on me. Growing up in the South, mental health was not taken seriously – let alone in online communities where, rather than a realistic depiction of depression, well-to-do white teenagers were seen romanticizing the very battle I wanted to go. The only way to be taken seriously was to hide my trauma and depression under a sunny and dynamic personality, even though underneath I never felt like I belonged in any social setting. To this day, I struggle to come to campus without these thoughts resurfacing and controlling me, equipped with a million excuses to leave any social situation.
It was not Ordinary. I was not normal. I had to – and still need to – hide my darkest days from everyone around me to keep them from thinking I’m too much. Trying to hide my depression and appear strong for anyone who needed me made me both excited and terrified to see how Rachel Lynn Solomon would characterize Ari Abrams, the titular protagonist of “Weather Girl,” the latest release from Solomon, which also deals with depression. And to my surprise, I found a lot of myself in Abrams (minus the red hair I dyed to the point of no return).
Courtesy of Rachel Lynn Solomon
“Weather Girl” opens with Abrams getting ready for her shift at KSEA, Seattle’s local news station. Any Solomon fan who has read “The Ex Talk” will recognize the emphasis on news and reporting as an integral part of Solomon’s work. This was inspired by Solomon’s aspirations to work in print media – starting with The Daily.
“My first year [at UW], I knew right away that I wanted to join The Daily, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study,” Solomon said. “I’ve always loved writing and started at The Daily as a reviewer first.”
The moments between Abrams and his brother Alex are charming and contribute to the multidimensional nature of his character influenced by Solomon’s personal experiences as a Jewish woman living in Seattle. The sibling banter, interspersed with brief memories of their mother who, like Abrams, was battling depression, got me excited to see where Solomon planned to take his characters.
To be frank, as a rare reader of romance (it took me five laps around Third Place Books to realize that romance had its own section), I was dreading the moment when Russell Barringer, the male lead, is appeared in the novel. Like Abrams, I was pleasantly surprised by how Barringer managed to break nearly every heteronormative standard for men despite his work as a sports reporter for KSEA. This, again, parallels Solomon’s history as a writer at The Daily.
“I actually met my husband who worked for The Daily,” Solomon said. “He was the art editor and I was the features editor.”
The plot, as Abrams and Barringer joke, is similar to “The Parent Trap,” except two co-workers plot to get their bosses together. Abrams, who grew up admiring her boss, Torrance Hale — for her powerful performance as chief meteorologist — wants more mentorship from her boss instead of constantly fighting with her ex-husband, Seth Hasegawa Hale. Hasegawa Hale, like his ex-wife, spends most of his time arguing rather than helping Barringer advance his career beyond college sportswriting.
Although the premise is not new, the execution of its characters makes Solomon’s novel special. Barringer is portrayed with vulnerabilities and insecurities, but his weight is never portrayed as an issue.
“There’s been a huge push for body positivity, and most of it has been focused on women, which is amazing,” Solomon said. “[There are] lots of plus size women on the covers, which is really fantastic, but that’s not the case with[masculine] heroes of romance novels. Most of them have the same body type – they’re at least 6 feet tall, they all have 20-pack abs, they all look exactly alike. In this book, the hero is described as fat; it’s a word he’s not uncomfortable with.
Barringer breaks conventional standards for male heroes yet again by revealing to Abrams that he is a father who shares custody of his 12-year-old daughter. The raw, visceral human interactions between Abrams and Barringer as their rugged edges meet leads me to recommend Solomon’s book.
Solomon also shared his favorite spot and his writing tips. Most of his writing sessions in Seattle took place at the Green Lake Chocolati Cafe – far enough from the noise of the U-District but close enough that anyone could catch a bus.
“I would often buy a truffle at the start of a writing session and just put it on the edge of the table as a little reward, really [a] motivation for myself,” Solomon said.
One thing I admire about Abrams is his courage in getting help to deal with his depression. I want to urge readers who have resonated with “Weather Girl” or my experiences to take the first step towards healing. UW maintains several programs through its counseling services and, in an emergency, the crisis hotlines provide anonymous support 24/7.
As much as I love rainy days, the world wouldn’t be the same without your sunshine.
Contact writer Julie Emory at [email protected]. Twitter: @JulieEmory2
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