Readers willing to immerse themselves in this challenging novel will be left with plenty to discuss afterward.
This ambitious novel juxtaposes historical tragedies with a futuristic frame.
Olsen’s oeuvre includes a number of structurally and linguistically innovative works, including My Red Heaven(2020). That novel took a kaleidoscopic view of Weimar-era Berlin, blending moments of human connection with suggestions of the devastation to come. This new novel goes even further with the concept. After a few pages of very fragmented text set in 2072, the action moves to a number of stories set in the recent past. Many of them focus on historical tragedies, including the Challengerdisaster and the plight of refugees trying to escape a war-torn Syria. Others play out on significant historical dates—including Sept. 11, 2001, and the day Richard Nixon announced his resignation—but move in unexpected directions. Aside from a few short vignettes, the significance and context of the 2072 segment isn’t fully explained until the novel’s final pages. Given that the other storylines largely focus on memory, intimacy, and mortality, the larger context into which the ending places them seems fitting. Each of the storylines is told in a different style—one about the origin of the internet is structured as a retrospective podcast interview, one about John Lennon’s murder inhabits his killer’s very subjective point of view, and the subplot set during the Fukushima tsunami and subsequent meltdown plays out in stark, minimalist verse. And while these storylines can be emotionally devastating on the page (particularly the Challengersubplot), the skill with which Olsen links them together keeps things moving at an impressive pace.
Readers willing to immerse themselves in this challenging novel will be left with plenty to discuss afterward.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-950539-35-2
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Dzanc
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.
Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love.
Bree is a friendly but standoffish bookstore owner who keeps everyone she knows at arm’s length, from guys she meets in bars to her friends. Mikki is a settled-in-her-routines divorced mother of two, happily a mom, gift-shop owner, and co-parent with her ex-husband, Perry. And Ashley is a young, very-much-in-love bakery owner specializing in muffins who devotes herself to giving back to the community through a nonprofit that helps community members develop skills and find jobs. When the women meet drooling over a boardwalk storefront that none of them can afford on her own, a plan is hatched to divide the space in three, and a friendship—and business partnership—is born. An impromptu celebration on the beach at sunset with champagne becomes a weekly touchpoint to their lives as they learn more about each other and themselves. Their friendship blossoms as they help each other, offering support, hard truths, and loving backup. Author Mallery has created a delightful story of friendship between three women that also offers a variety of love stories as they fall in love, make mistakes, and figure out how to be the best—albeit still flawed—versions of themselves. The men are similarly flawed and human. While the story comes down clearly on the side of all-encompassing love, Mallery has struck a careful balance: There is just enough sex to be spicy, just enough swearing to be naughty, and just enough heartbreak to avoid being cloying.
A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-778-38608-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
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