Addiction dominates a comfortable Indian family and pushes its daughter to the edge.
Patel’s debut is a dark, unhappy story of alcoholism and a broken mother-daughter relationship. On good days, Noomi Wadia’s mother, Asha, “could be amazing,” but such days are rare since Asha lost her second child and, subsequently, her mental health. Now she’s an alcoholic, dominating the lives of Noomi and her father, Jeh: “My parents’ marriage is destroying them, slowly, like termites eating a house.” Noomi, 23, has grown up lonely and rebellious, blaming her parents, struggling in her own relationships, and tempted by alcohol, too. Eventually she will break free of her home in Kamalpur and move to Bombay, where she works as a journalist and meets Veer, the man she will marry. When we next encounter Noomi, she’s arriving in New Delhi with the ever tolerant Veer, to meet her future-in-laws. But, as in the preceding sections, Patel undermines her story with overemphasis, juxtaposing Noomi against casts of two-dimensional secondary figures—corrupt businessmen; mean, spoiled, and critical female elders; and contentedly privileged male peers. This heavy delineation coarsens the storytelling, sapping sympathy for its beleaguered central character, who will struggle with her own alcoholism, depression, and hard choices. At times Patel demonstrates a graceful descriptive style, but it’s her tendency to accentuate that predominates, even during a redemptive—and not quite convincing—conclusion.
A shortage of nuance drains impact from a painful tale.Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-951213-60-2
Page Count: 255
Publisher: Unnamed Press
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.
38
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Exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.
Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple—until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families—in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place—the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. The problem with this plan, of course, is that Harriet still has major feelings for Wyn—feelings that only get stronger as they pretend to be blissfully in love. As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions.
A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593441275
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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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
Categories: ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION
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