A light bit of comfort reading for those looking for a fond, if sometimes-irreverent, look back at a bygone era.
Duclon’s debut novel follows the all-American Duncan family over two very memorable weeks in 1961.
It’s Christmastime in Rockford, Illinois, and 11-year-old David Duncan doesn’t have too much on his personal wish list: he wants a fancy new go-kart and the chance to go on a date with his crush, Susie Sweeney. There are a couple of complications, though: he can’t help but blurt out his feelings around Susie, and, more pressingly, she’s more into his best friend, Veto Santello. Meanwhile, his parents—the strict yet gregarious Duke and the kindhearted Phyllis—aren’t onboard with the go-kart idea. Add in a mischievous little sister and a principal with a predilection for corporal punishment, and there’s a lot for David to navigate. By his side is the family dog, Rags, who, when he’s not “jumpin’ and humpin’ ” someone’s leg, is loyal to a fault. The narrative follows David from misadventure to misadventure, whether they involve sophomoric pranks at school, an ill-advised sled trip down “Suicide Hill,” or a dramatic episode at the town’s outdoor skating rink. Duclon, a former executive producer for such TV sitcoms as Family Matters and the creator of Punky Brewster, hits familiar sitcom beats, always looking for the next joke while also showing nostalgia for the time period. He often contrasts moments of genuine Yuletide joy with the particularities of real life, such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree repeatedly pulled down by a dog or a man in a Santa Claus suit sky-diving with a faulty parachute. Although the characters are somewhat archetypal—the wisecracking protagonist, the Everyman dad, the beautiful girl next door—Duclon puts them into inventive situations throughout, and the plot zips along, never lingering too long on one scene. This is just the first installment of a planned series, but the protagonist is still neatly and tidily developed over the course of the novel, becoming braver and more generous despite the many obstacles in his path. The fact that most of David’s obstacles are self-inflicted merely adds to the fun.
A light bit of comfort reading for those looking for a fond, if sometimes-irreverent, look back at a bygone era.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5488-3074-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.
Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.
Yanagihara (The People in the Trees, 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
PERSPECTIVES
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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