An endearing and fascinating perspective on a uniquely volatile and dangerous childhood.
In Wallack’s novel, a brother and sister survive a shocking upbringing of drugs, cults, and neglect.
In 1979, Sienna (CeeCee) and Siddharta (Siddhi) Jones are 6 and 5 years old, respectively, living with their father, Jackson, in Miami—more specifically, in Xanadu. That’s the name of their house where Jackson sells drugs, leads a sex cult, and rants about the Bhagavad Gita. With their mother dead from an overdose (and their grandmother and aunt proving to be equally disappointing parental figures), they fend for themselves, watching, year after year, as different “Babies” (Jackson’s term for his sex-addicted followers-turned-drug-mules) come and go from Xanadu. They try in vain to get themselves adopted by a traditional family and even forge papers to enroll in the local elementary school, but all their efforts are in vain as Jackson’s drug-dealing cult only grows in size and ambition, slowly devouring the children’s innocence in the process. As the 1980s draw to a close and the siblings reach high school age, the author moves from CeeCee’s first-person narration to a shifting perspective as the adolescents come to terms with their strange, toxic father and begin to wonder how they could possibly move forward in the world without him. Manic walks through hurricanes, deadly overdoses, and even sexual assault are all parts of these children’s brutal world, but Wallack cleverly walks a tightrope in her writing, balancing the horrors with a child’s unwavering imagination and naïve sense of wonder (moments in which CeeCee instinctively shepherds Siddhi away from orgies are at once shocking, tender, and comical). The book’s latter half feels more aimless, unsure of where its characters should be heading, but CeeCee’s perspective remains surprising and engaging. It’s through her that the author develops a distinctive and emotionally rich voice delivering succinct observations as devastating as any of the horrible events themselves, such as her simple summary of how she felt others saw her family and Xanadu: “We were degenerate aliens. No matter what or where.”
An endearing and fascinating perspective on a uniquely volatile and dangerous childhood.Pub Date: March 9, 2024
ISBN: 9798892125710
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
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
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.
Who was Shakespeare?
Move over, Earl of Oxford and Francis Bacon: There’s another contender for the true author of plays attributed to the bard of Stratford—Emilia Bassano, a clever, outspoken, educated woman who takes center stage in Picoult’s spirited novel. Of Italian heritage, from a family of court musicians, Emilia was a hidden Jew and the courtesan of a much older nobleman who vetted plays to be performed for Queen Elizabeth. She was well traveled—unlike Shakespeare, she visited Italy and Denmark, where, Picoult imagines, she may have met Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—and was familiar with court intrigue and English law. “Every gap in Shakespeare’s life or knowledge that has had to be explained away by scholars, she somehow fills,” Picoult writes. Encouraged by her lover, Emilia wrote plays and poetry, but 16th-century England was not ready for a female writer. Picoult interweaves Emilia’s story with that of her descendant Melina Green, an aspiring playwright, who encounters the same sexist barriers to making herself heard that Emilia faced. In alternating chapters, Picoult follows Melina’s frustrated efforts to get a play produced—a play about Emilia, who Melina is certain sold her work to Shakespeare. Melina’s play, By Any Other Name, “wasn’t meant to be a fiction; it was meant to be the resurrection of an erasure.” Picoult creates a richly detailed portrait of daily life in Elizabethan England, from sumptuous castles to seedy hovels. Melina’s story is less vivid: Where Emilia found support from the witty Christopher Marlowe, Melina has a fashion-loving gay roommate; where Emilia faces the ravages of repeated outbreaks of plague, for Melina, Covid-19 occurs largely offstage; where Emilia has a passionate affair with the adoring Earl of Southampton, Melina’s lover is an awkward New York Times theater critic. It’s Emilia’s story, and Picoult lovingly brings her to life.
A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9780593497210
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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