Witty, poignant, and true.
Atlanta-based author Johnson (Pagan Babies, 1993; stories: I Am Dangerous, 1996) returns to familiar themes with a southern family brought together, transformed, and in part destroyed by AIDS.
Thom and his sister Abby haven’t spoken in four years, not since Thom exiled himself after a family incident at the time of their father’s death. Thirtysomething, he now lives in Atlanta, the family’s hometown. A successful realtor, Thom has recently lost his boyfriend to AIDS and is sustained by a wide circle of friends. It’s a bittersweet existence, brunch and Bloody Marys on the one hand, hospital visits and anti-viral cocktails on the other. Older sister Abby, meanwhile, is a schoolteacher who lives at home with Mom in Philadelphia. Single, getting a bit frumpy and more than a bit bitter, she spends too much of her time taking care of out-to-lunch Mom and is well on her way to redefining Catholic spinsterhood for the 21st century. When Thom gets in touch to tell her he’s HIV-positive, Abby takes charge. She flies to Atlanta with the intent of bringing Thom back and brokering a family reconciliation. But like a Henry James heroine on her first trip to Florence, Abby comes alive in Atlanta. After she reestablishes her intimacy with Thom, she finds herself a dark and sinister lover, a new wardrobe, a different hair-do, and several new friends. With Thom’s old and Abby’s new friends, they create a family of their own, and their collective tales, interrupted by gossip and drinks, laughter and occasional tears, sends the novel flying along. But the inevitable can’t be avoided, and, after putting it off for months, Mom comes to visit: a scary combination of southern politeness and northern frankness, she pulls the story together. Her presence sends it ricocheting between family memories and the troubled present. The odd reunion, however imperfect and inarticulate it may be, bathes the closing pages in love and sadness.
Witty, poignant, and true.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-55583-637-2
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Alyson
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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