An often entertaining story of a middle-aged protagonist who finds a new connection with her in-law and a new lease on life.
Clarke’s debut novel presents the story of a tempestuous relationship between a woman and her daughter-in-law.
In an unnamed American suburb, Allison Montgomery is a mother of two who feels stuck in a rut, so she signs up with her local gym. As she fills out the membership forms, she receives a call from her husband, Hank, informing her that her beloved father-in-law, George, has just died: “I took another deep breath, feeling a stinging sensation in my eyes so bad I closed them. He’s gone.” Soon, Allie’s mother-in-law, Margaret, arrives at their house, bringing with her a huge suitcase that suggests that she won’t be leaving anytime soon. Allie and Margaret have never seen eye to eye, and Margaret still criticizes her, ignores her wishes, and makes decisions about what’s best for her two children without consulting her. Now, both women must learn to coexist as they face such struggles as Hank and Allie’s troubled marriage, son Cameron’s impending driver’s test, daughter Samantha’s suspicious new boyfriend and uncertainties about college, and Margaret’s adaptation to a new normal without her husband. Over the course of this novel, Clarke offers a tale that’s often funny and sharp. Her characterization of Margaret does occasionally slip into a monster-in-law caricature at times, offering very little to redeem her or create a sense of deeper understanding between the two women. However, some humanity does begin to shine through toward the end of the book. Clarke weaves in aspects of the uncertainties of middle age, including Allie’s search for a new career that will make her feel passionate again. Allie’s visits to the gym, which features an intimidating young receptionist, are particularly comical.
An often entertaining story of a middle-aged protagonist who finds a new connection with her in-law and a new lease on life.Pub Date: July 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68433-993-8
Page Count: 258
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
