I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

" Hazel had always said, 'Don't give up before the miracle happens.' And if this wasn't a miracle, Maggie didn't know what was." from the novel, page 310

I have read several of Fannie Flagg's novels over the years and have enjoyed them all. This one is no exception. There is a lot to like about I Still Dream About You, including its combination of humor, mystery and charming characters. One of my favorite minor characters, Hazel, though dead 5 years at the start of the novel, struck me as someone I'd love to know in real life.

The main character, Maggie, would seem to have the perfect life but she feels very inadequate, to the point where she has given up on life. Strangely, the day before finishing the novel, I began to understand Maggie much more after seeing a podcast lecture presented by Brene` Brown, a sociologist. Ms. Brown was talking about her research into human feelings of self-worth and the lack of it. She found that people who felt worthy generally had the following characteristics in common: courage, compassion, connection (to others) and vulnerability. I found myself thinking of Maggie and saw her as an example of someone who had a poor sense of self-worth. She did seem to have friends and genuinely cared for them but she just couldn't forgive herself for mistakes in the past and accept her own imperfections, thus she was failing miserably in the vulnerability department.

The setting of Birmingham, Alabama, made the story even more personal for me, since my high school years were spent in North Alabama and many landmarks and historical and cultural references were quite familiar.

I loved the interweaving of the history of the Crocker family and the "dream house" into the timeline of Maggie's life, with its many flashbacks and an intriguing mystery to wonder about. I'd rate the novel a 4 plus!