Colorful characters that, unfortunately, don’t develop.
Drury (A Dream Away, 2011) uses the Occupy protests as his novel’s backdrop in this quiet family tragedy.
After a somewhat dry prologue, the novel jumps to life as we meet Parker and Katrina Boyce, a young married couple that has recently moved to Florida from California. He’s a psychologist, and she’s a busy stay-at-home mom. Katrina is the victim of a carjacking, and before the couple gets a chance to celebrate her survival, Parker is shot in the chest by the drug-addicted ex-girlfriend of one of his patients, Roy Calhoun. While Parker recovers in the hospital, Katrina starts an affair with a police detective. It’s not long after this that the Boyces see the size of their household increase. Parker’s mother moves in, and Roy becomes a live-in property caretaker until a house fire forces the Boyces to temporarily live in an apartment. That’s when Katrina’s younger sister comes to stay with them. She begins dating Roy, and the two attend various Occupy protests. Roy, who served in Afghanistan, suffers from PTSD, which is triggered by the charged atmosphere of the protests. While there are some action-packed scenes, this is a character-driven novel. Conflict is minimal and the big events seem to have little lasting effect on the characters, even the big final tragedy only manages to derail the life of a single character. The novel’s theme seems to be that things tend to stay the same. The engaging writing style and the shifts in point of view mean the book flows swiftly along. However, the lack of character growth may frustrate some readers.
Colorful characters that, unfortunately, don’t develop.Pub Date: May 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475011395
Page Count: 300
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A well-written, insightful account of abandoning self-identity to ultimately reclaim it.
Jacob’s debut novel follows a young Jewish man in search of himself in the early 1970s.
The bar mitzvah of Richard Zelman—an overweight, social misfit from California—is a disaster. Richard’s family’s humiliation is complete when he devolves into overwhelmed silence while at the synagogue’s podium and must be hand-fed his entire speech by the rabbi, to the horror of his family and the entire congregation. His only escape is an imaginary friend, Nygel Ply, who is his respite from a wretched life that’s capsizing him, despite his valiant efforts to rise to the surface. Richard attempts to leave his mistakes behind by moving to Europe and establishing a new identity as Nygel Ply, someone he never could manage to become while stateside. The bulk of the novel is the poignant, introspective journey of young Nygel as he meanders across Europe. The author effortlessly draws the reader into Nygel’s world as he meets various strangers who redirect his life from aimless wandering to working as a teacher at an English home for mentally challenged children. The secondary characters Nygel connects with are skillfully drafted, flawed people whose struggles both touch Nygel’s heart and facilitate his inner growth. Jacob’s use of setting is extraordinary; the streets of LA, small British pubs, a small English town, a terrifying encounter with border guards in Turkey all enliven Richard’s travels. Intricate details bring the varied settings to life, but do not intrude on the narrative.
A well-written, insightful account of abandoning self-identity to ultimately reclaim it.Pub Date: April 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1456421427
Page Count: 380
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A refreshingly blunt chorus of older women’s voices.
Meier (Ireland, Place Out of Time, 2017, etc.) and debut editor Barry, a psychotherapist, present an anthology of essays and poetry about female sexuality after age 50.
For some women, aging doesn’t mean the end of their sex lives but rather the beginning of new adventures. Liberation from pregnancy fears, child-rearing responsibilities, and menstruation allow them to fully indulge their own pursuit of pleasure. This anthology gives such women the opportunity to speak for themselves—and they do so with aplomb. Nonfiction author Bernadette Murphy discovers the orgasmic perks of learning to ride a motorcycle post-divorce. Lisa Mae DeMasi, whose work has appeared in multiple literary journals, finds that, with reiki practice and essential oils, achieving climax no longer feels like “trudging up Mount Washington with a dead body strapped to my back.” Writer and blogger Rita Bullinger describes how a communication technique called “Imago dialogue” has increased intimacy and sexual satisfaction with her lover: “Communication coupled with oral sex, I’m convinced, is what makes sex at sixty-six the best sex of our lives.” It’s not all excitement and discovery, however; writer Lola Fontay shares the unsettling experience of witnessing a man masturbating in front of her at the end of their first date. Poet Becky Dennison Sakellariou considers the legacy of silence around women’s desire: “A woman like me is invisible, if she is not, / she should be, an anathema, a sin.” But many writers here use humor to talk about the havoc that aging can wreak: “Just when we have our act together the warranty goes out on the equipment,” says author and professional speaker Sally Franz in her hilariously prescriptive essay “Tweaking Sex After Fifty.” The authors also often address sex with tact and sensuality: “Sometimes then, long-married / bodies, after stuttering into sleep, / curve into long slumbers of silk yesses, / yesses loud enough to waken dreams,” writes poet Brenda Yates. Toward the end, the bad online dating stories do become a bit repetitive. But there’s a diverse array of perspectives here, each unique enough to keep readers intrigued.
A refreshingly blunt chorus of older women’s voices.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9990994-4-5
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Weeping Willow Books
Review Posted Online: July 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 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.
