The rarely seen but quite enjoyable novella form serves this maiden effort well.
A bestselling food writer tries his hand at fiction.
After 20 nonfiction books and cookbook collaborations, Ruhlman (Egg, 2014, etc.) has written three novellas linked by themes of nostalgia, midlife sexuality, marital fidelity (or lack thereof), and drunk driving. The first, In Short Measures, set at Duke University, explores a midlife reconnection between college lovers occasioned by the funeral of an important writing professor. The woman has remained at the college as a classic single-lady librarian; the man is a successful screenwriter in Los Angeles, married with children. Despite much literary window dressing—Gatsby is read aloud in its entirety; Ben Jonson and Shakespeare make contributions—the story of this interrupted affair has a bit of a romance-novel feel. The third story, Sally Forth, is similar to the first: again college lovers, one of whom is a writer, are center stage; again, their reconnection has dramatic consequences; again, the action is set among references to Hardy, Nabokov, Dickinson, etc. Fortunately, these two are separated by a quite different story, perhaps the most successful of the three. Strong Conspirators is more of an emotional thriller than a romance. Here, the central couple has good reason to yearn for "the way we were" since they are currently embroiled in covering up the truth about an alcohol-fueled vehicular homicide a few days before Christmas. The wife, who wasn't even in the car, lies to the police to protect her husband; the questions of whether or not they will get away with it and who they will become because of it create the most powerful narrative momentum in the collection. Strong Conspirators, which doesn't have characters who are writers and is not filled with literary hat-tipping, suggests the direction Ruhlman might best pursue if he continues to play this side of the street.
The rarely seen but quite enjoyable novella form serves this maiden effort well.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63450-225-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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