Sharp, satiric, and uncomfortably insightful, Tiktin’s novel amuses and abrades in equal measure.
Therapist, heal thyself.
Tiktin’s (A Perception of Murder, 2016, etc.) tale of romantic strife and racial tension is a hard little sourball of social comedy. An incisive and unsparing examination of self-interest complicated by social expectations, the novel features a cast of painfully relatable—if almost entirely unsympathetic—characters enslaved to their baser natures while struggling futilely to navigate the neuroses those drives inevitably create. Jonathan Meltzer is the titular therapist, a callow counselor-in-training suffering from a serious case of Portnoy’s Complaint: passive, wracked by fears of sexual inadequacy, and fatally constricted by his Jewish upbringing. His clients are Thaddeus, a simmering cauldron of resentment and ambition, and Beverly, a stunning Jamaican princess, venal and calculating, nursing a catastrophic credit card addiction. Jonathan lusts for Beverly, Beverly appraises Jonathan as a no-limit American Express card–carrying upgrade from her current husband, and Thaddeus, perhaps the sharpest and most perceptive of the three, sees an opportunity in the possibility of a fat malpractice suit should Jonathan and Beverly succumb to temptation. Tiktin employs this farcical premise to dig into deeply uncomfortable issues of racial identity (Thaddeus and Beverly are black, Jonathan is white), social status, personal ethics and morality, and sexual insecurity, deftly alternating points of view and imbuing each of his players with rich inner lives and distinctive voices. Tiktin is also a playwright with a gift for revealing character through dialogue, and his supporting characters—Jonathan’s abrasive girlfriend, Arlene, his oversharing New Age therapist, Timothy, and Thaddeus’ conflicted work-crush, Maureen—emerge as vividly as the main cast, providing yet another layer of illuminating perspective on the principal action. Tiktin’s work here invites comparison to Roth, Updike, and Wolfe—and, though slight in comparison to those titans’ masterpieces, his latest novel acquits itself well in the tradition.
Sharp, satiric, and uncomfortably insightful, Tiktin’s novel amuses and abrades in equal measure.Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-57962-492-7
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Permanent Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable...
An unlucky woman finally gets lucky in love on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.
From getting her hand stuck in a claw machine at age 6 to losing her job, Olive Torres has never felt that luck was on her side. But her fortune changes when she scores a free vacation after her identical twin sister and new brother-in-law get food poisoning at their wedding buffet and are too sick to go on their honeymoon. The only catch is that she’ll have to share the honeymoon suite with her least favorite person—Ethan Thomas, the brother of the groom. To make matters worse, Olive’s new boss and Ethan’s ex-girlfriend show up in Hawaii, forcing them both to pretend to be newlyweds so they don’t blow their cover, as their all-inclusive vacation package is nontransferable and in her sister’s name. Plus, Ethan really wants to save face in front of his ex. The story is told almost exclusively from Olive’s point of view, filtering all communication through her cynical lens until Ethan can win her over (and finally have his say in the epilogue). To get to the happily-ever-after, Ethan doesn’t have to prove to Olive that he can be a better man, only that he was never the jerk she thought he was—for instance, when she thought he was judging her for eating cheese curds, maybe he was actually thinking of asking her out. Blending witty banter with healthy adult communication, the fake newlyweds have real chemistry as they talk it out over snorkeling trips, couples massages, and a few too many tropical drinks to get to the truth—that they’re crazy about each other.
Heartfelt and funny, this enemies-to-lovers romance shows that the best things in life are all-inclusive and nontransferable as well as free.Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2803-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.
Two years after the tragic death of her fiance, an artist begins to heal thanks to a rock star and his dog.
Sloan Monroe is on her way to the grave of her late fiance, who was killed by a drunk driver, when she nearly hits a dog who dashed into the road. When she stops to check on him, he jumps into her car through the sunroof, and when she doesn't hear from his owner after calling the number on his collar, she decides to keep him. Jason Larsen, the dog's owner, is backpacking off the grid in Australia, and when he finally gets Sloan's voicemails nearly two weeks later, he calls her and is astonished to discover that she's had Tucker, his dog, for so long; his quasi-girlfriend was supposed to be watching Tucker but it turns out she had basically abandoned him. Since he’s still in Australia for a few weeks, Jason arranges for Sloan to keep Tucker, and through it all they text and talk and plant the seeds for a friendship, if not more. Sloan is slow and wary, even before she discovers that Jason is a musician on the cusp of star status. Still, she’s charmed by his patience and talent, and when he returns to LA, she quickly falls in love with him, his dog, and his family. Just as they’re admitting to deep feelings, he’s embarking on a long musical tour and wants her with him. It’s a grind, which she isn’t expecting, and the relationship is at odds with his label’s publicity plans, which are complicated. Plus, it keeps Sloan from pursuing her art, which she wants to explore again. Following her exceptional debut (The Friend Zone, 2019), author Jimenez has written Sloan’s story with elegant, compassionate success, showcasing a romance that navigates deep grief and healing while exploring the unexpected stressors placed on a celebrity relationship. Fans of The Friend Zone will be happy to see Kristen and Josh as Sloan’s main support system and will be touched by Jimenez’s note in the acknowledgements about her inspiration for the book.
A perfect blend of smart, heart-wrenching, and fun.Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5387-1564-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Forever
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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