Captivating entertainment, like an episode of reality TV.
In this novel, an aimless, 30-something woman cast in a Survivor-style reality show falls for a good-looking operator out to win at any cost.
Robin Bricker has drifted through her 20s, reaching 31 without either a family like her brother Ian or a high-paying job like her brother Ted, who won’t let anyone forget he went to Harvard. When she lands a spot on The Holdout, she sees not just a chance to win a million dollars but an opportunity to prove to her family that she’s a competent adult. In the Philippines, she meets Grant, a curly haired charmer who claims to have lost both his parents in Iraq, which ignites a connection with the all-too-unsuspecting Robin, still haunted by her mother’s death in a car accident when she was 2. They form an alliance, advancing to the final five, where he sells her out. The swiftness of Robin’s infatuation defies belief considering her stated commitment to winning the game; it’s hard to disagree with Holdout fans who lambast her online for stupidity. Yet the fallout is wholly credible, with Robin back home in Iowa cringing weekly at each new episode, bothered by judgments on Twitter and the memory of her own missteps, “feeling exposed, icky and vulnerable, like it’s time for my yearly gynecologist exam.” Called up for jury duty, she arrives with darkened hair and thick-framed glasses (so as to avoid recognition) determined to play the group dynamics better in the deliberation room than she did on the island. That includes intriguing Juror No. 10, who seems like a nice guy, if a little short. Osterkamp (November Surprise, 2013, etc.) fills Robin’s life with well-drawn relatives, such as her cousin Jack, whose marriage is falling apart, and her sister-in-law Lucy, initially the only person to respect Robin’s decision to go on television. Osterkamp also adeptly builds the momentum leading to the revelation of the final holdout, a showdown between double-dealing Grant and the dark-horse contestant whom Robin backs in the final vote.
Captivating entertainment, like an episode of reality TV.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-1933826400
Page Count: 236
Publisher: PMI Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.
Two men discover God on two different paths in Malby’s curiously titled first novel.
In some unspecified part of Middle America, two boys bond as toddlers in their rural hometown during an era in the 20th century when outhouses were the norm and child mortality rates were high. The boys grow apart and reconnect during manhood, finishing their long lives together. As youths, they become alienated by Windknocker, another name for God, which is further explained about halfway into the novel. Yet the titular Windknocker ultimately unites them and gives purpose to their lives. To cover the decades of their friendship, the narrative zips along like a skipped rock over water, pausing only to focus on key events in the characters’ lives. Often, these moments are what the two men look back to later in life as they attempt to resolve their differences regarding the meaning and practice of faith. Mew, the main character, takes the formal route through the Catholic priesthood during the tumult of Vatican II. His best friend, Leezie, lives in an informal street ministry as a laborer and soldier in World War II. As boys and men, they live on opposite sides of the tracks—literally at first, and figuratively later, with personalities as different as their origins, lifestyles and faith. Mew’s faith is intellectual (“religion wasn’t about experience but working toward perfection”); whereas Leezie’s faith is intuitive, particularly after he’s “borned again” during a revival meeting. Malby tells their story in memoir format through Mew’s voice, diverting occasionally into an omniscient observer—sometimes transitioning like an emcee—to cover episodes in Leezie’s life. The switches in point of view aren’t disruptive, although they give the narrative an uneven flow. Malby’s straightforward prose contains short, evocative descriptions—“I was sure her eyes sparkled even when she was asleep”—which will comfortably take readers into intimate discussions of faith that are thought-provoking independent of religious perspective.
An impressively thoughtful expression of spirituality.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-1608622320
Page Count: 306
Publisher: E-Book Time, LLC
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Sturdy, exuberant verse.
Like the demigod from which it takes its name, Defining Atlas is a durable, uplifting volume.
A strong current of self-affirmation, self-love, and self-confidence runs through this work, and readers will come away feeling their spirits improved. We feel some of this current in the clever “Limited”; Michaels takes the titular subject and turns it on its head: “I’m new, but I’m old / Not limited beyond my means and methods / But limited because I’m special / Special beyond the heavens and everything that surrounds me / That I’m among…limited.” Elsewhere in “From the ashes…I am,” he sings a hard-won song of renewal and rebirth: “I am victory in its rawest form / I am hope that never conform / I am the will, the drive, and the truth / I am like everyone, like you.” But Michaels does not hoard specialness or victory for himself; he wants it for his reader too, and in “Wake Up!” he urges us on toward a bright future: “There’s something good here for you / Your purpose can never be defined by just one blue / Your destiny awaits you.” Underpinning Michaels’ stirring message is a strong faith in God, whose presence infuses many of the poems here: “But I always thank God for the latter / For the strength and will it takes / Shines so bright / Shines so right.” Michaels often adopts a loose scheme of rhyming couplets, and this decision leads to one of the book’s few weaknesses. Too often, the poet picks awkward or odd pairings; e.g., “And if I could become a perfect saint / I would make believers out of the ones who say they ain’t” and the “you/blue” couplet mentioned above. But such missteps are infrequent, and they don’t dim the warm light that emanates from Michaels’ fine volume.
Sturdy, exuberant verse.Pub Date: March 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5035-4785-8
Page Count: 106
Publisher: Xlibris
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2015
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.
