SOAP CITY

A small town’s scandals, from electoral corruption to the very real possibility of murder, take center stage in McAuley’s novel.

All the residents of Soap City, Oregon, know Ambrose Van Halen, the community’s richest landowner. High-in-demand potatoes turned his farm into a “money-making machine” decades ago, but who stands to inherit the farm when Ambrose dies? Perhaps his grandsons Robert and David, whose podcast is really just an infomercial for the alleged jackalopes they’re selling. Or maybe it’s Ambrose’s daughter (Robert and David’s aunt) Gretchen, who was once involved in a reputed kidnapping (but may have simply run away with one of her sons’ teen friends). The Van Halens are pretty sure that Ambrose’s will grants his fortune to his “eldest hair.” Is that Gretchen, the oldest child, or Garrett, the only son? Settling the matter leads the family down dark paths, including hiring a hit man. Elsewhere in Soap City, someone is trying to buy an upcoming election as a trio of county commissioners hold private meetings that probably aren’t legal. McAuley’s story, true to its title, is an unabashed soap opera. Among the Van Halens alone, the novel features more than one affair, an illegitimate child, and a cringe-inducing turn in its latter half. Most of the ensemble cast is unlikable: Robert and David, along with their cousins Gregor and Claude, are all selfish, dimwitted young men (local fortuneteller Crystal Ball easily ropes them into spending way too much on her so-called voodoo dolls). The lighthearted narrative never takes itself too seriously; character names are often silly, like those of the leaders of a local commune (Sam Sung and Tehra Dactyl), and Robert and David’s attempts to scam people into buying jackalopes are so transparent that they’re funny. The ending, even if it’s predictable, is a knockout.

A diverting, brazenly soapy tale steeped in grubby Americana.