A couple, devastated by the sudden loss of their young daughter, search for a reprieve from their grief.
Joy Rosenberg has an enviable if ordinary life—she has a devoted and successful husband, a fulfilling career as a designer, and two beautiful children. Her storybook world shatters, though, when her 10-year-old daughter, Jenny, suddenly dies in a freak accident. Friends and family close ranks to provide support, but their compassion can be suffocating. In one scene beautifully drawn by debut author Gunther, a neighbor barges into the house insisting she cook the Rosenbergs an elaborate meal and takes umbrage when told her unannounced visit is an intrusion. Guilt overwhelms Joy—Jenny died alone in her car while her mother quickly ran to an ATM. And even years afterward, she struggles with a return to the quotidian—her husband, Danny, immerses himself so fully in his work his “grief was becoming indiscernible.” Meanwhile, she still makes daily “pilgrimages” to Jenny’s now unoccupied room, a torturous rite of anguish. She turns to the distractions of yoga and work, accompanies Danny to a support group meeting, and solicits guidance and consolation from Judaism, all to no avail. Eventually, her marriage falters under the weight of their loss, and she’s tormented by the impact the tragedy will have on her son, Jake, who was 6 when Jenny died. Gunther powerfully depicts Joy’s despair and her inconsolability despite outpourings of love and support. The story is achingly sad, but the author manages to interject wry humor into its darkness: “I feel like the eternal battle between good and evil is going on inside me, like I can change the future of the universe. And I have to do the laundry?” Here and there, editorial markings remain within the manuscript, which can obscure the text and lead to confusion. Nonetheless, this is an unflinching exploration of heartache in its most extreme expression.
A moving account of love and mourning.Pub Date: April 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63393-546-4
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Koehler Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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Privileged 30-somethings hide from their woes in Nantucket.
Hilderbrand’s saga follows the lives of Melanie, Brenda and Vicki. Vicki, alpha mom and perfect wife, is battling late-stage lung cancer and, in an uncharacteristically flaky moment, opts for chemotherapy at the beach. Vicki shares ownership of a tiny Nantucket cottage with her younger sister Brenda. Brenda, a literature professor, tags along for the summer, partly out of familial duty, partly because she’s fleeing the fallout from her illicit affair with a student. As for Melanie, she gets a last minute invite from Vicki, after Melanie confides that Melanie’s husband is having an affair. Between Melanie and Brenda, Vicki feels her two young boys should have adequate supervision, but a disastrous first day on the island forces the trio to source some outside help. Enter Josh, the adorable and affable local who is hired to tend to the boys. On break from college, Josh learns about the pitfalls of mature love as he falls for the beauties in the snug abode. Josh likes beer, analysis-free relationships and hot older women. In a word, he’s believable. In addition to a healthy dose of testosterone, the novel is balanced by powerful descriptions of Vicki’s bond with her two boys. Emotions run high as she prepares for death.
Nothing original, but in Hilderbrand’s hands it’s easy to get lost in the story.Pub Date: July 2, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-316-01858-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2007
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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Five friends meet on their first day of kindergarten at the exclusive Atwood School and remain lifelong friends through tragedy and triumph.
When Gabby, Billy, Izzie, Andy and Sean meet in the toy kitchen of the kindergarten classroom on their first day of school, no one can know how strong the group’s friendship will remain. Despite their different personalities and interests, the five grow up together and become even closer as they come into their own talents and life paths. But tragedy will strike and strike again. Family troubles, abusive parents, drugs, alcohol, stress, grief and even random bad luck will put pressure on each of them individually and as a group. Known for her emotional romances, Steel makes a bit of a departure with this effort that follows a group of friends through young adulthood. But even as one tragedy after another befalls the friends, the impact of the events is blunted by a distant narrative style that lacks emotional intensity.
More about grief and tragedy than romance.Pub Date: July 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-34321-3
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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