I WAS TOLD IT WOULD GET EASIER

Jessica Burnstein, 45 and “full of optimism,” accompanies her daughter, Emily, “stressed beyond belief,” on a weeklong bus tour of top-notch colleges.

Jessica, a lawyer and single mother, wants the best for Emily, which includes getting her into a top college. She purchased a pricy package deal to tour big-name colleges up the East Coast from Georgetown to Columbia—hotels and trips to famous sites are all included in the price, as is the inevitable discord. Emily doesn’t know what she wants; her mother does! Let the clash begin! Emily does the teenage thing, pushing her mother away; Jessica does the parent thing, managing her emotions without drowning in them. The college tour is the river the story meanders on, complete with a peppy tour guide, hectic schedule, anxious parents, annoyed kids, and a visit from the FBI. Then there’s the undercurrent of Jessica’s job issues and Emily’s troubles back at school in Los Angeles, neither of which mother or daughter has shared with the other. So there will be a reveal, but the meandering pace dissipates much of the tension by the time that happens. The story culminates in a slow whirlpool when the FBI interrupts the tour group, bringing Emily’s hidden secrets to the fore. The river eventually flows into the ocean, an understated ending for a tale that promises more than it delivers.

Waxman fans may find that this isn't her best, but her witty, ironic voice makes it worth the read.