A clever story of midlife dysfunction set on a Mexican vacation gone awry.
A family vacation in Mexico goes off the rails for four adult siblings in this literary novel from Meis (Deluge, 2016, etc.).
Following the death of their mother after a protracted illness, the four adult Burd children decide to take a vacation together in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta—the site of their parents’ honeymoon. “No spouses. No kids,” insists M, the oldest daughter. “Just the four of us together for the first time in ages. We deserve it. The last few months have been tough.” The trip gives the siblings a chance to discuss their various midlife crises—though what each says contains some surprises for the others. AJ, a mother of two, reveals that her marriage is threatened by her Trump-loving husband’s emerging bigotries. Lio is wracked with remorse for screwing up his marriage a decade ago, afraid he may never have the kind of relationship he’d like with his teenage daughter. Augie, a trivia-obsessed librarian, loves his husband and son, but he can’t help feeling tempted by a freer life in the middle of the famous “Mexican gay Mecca.” In the biggest shock of all, M, a child psychologist with a husband back home, reveals that she identifies as a man. When two of the siblings are kidnapped, however, the Burd family crises become significantly more pressing. Meis’ prose is lively and often funny, with the point of view bouncing back and forth among the four siblings. “Since my move to Modesto, Lio and I hadn’t gotten together as much as when we lived just a couple miles from each other in Oakland,” explains AJ. “If the kidnapping had a positive aspect, we had plenty of time to reminisce about our lives and talk about a future if there was to be one.” The setting and hostage situation breathe some fresh air into the familiar family-with-problems premise, and each of the four main characters is well drawn and engaging. The plot manages to be sincere yet lighthearted, resulting in a mostly rewarding reading experience with a few laughs along the way.
A clever story of midlife dysfunction set on a Mexican vacation gone awry.Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9976728-4-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Vincent Meis Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
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