An overstuffed but absorbing novel about the price of fame.
A troubled rock star struggles with the double whammy of drug addiction and cancer in Knudsen’s novel.
On the night of what’s supposed to be her last show ever, struggling musician Sky Black runs into a 17-year-old boy named Sam behind Vancouver’s Imperial Theatre, in an alleyway home to “the destitute and addicted.” Though she already has plenty to deal with—an agonizing pain in her throat, the impending end of her career, and a heartbreak she can’t shake—Sky, three years into addiction recovery herself, sees something in Sam and invites him to watch the show. As it turns out, Sam isn’t the only unexpected guest that night: Rod Birk, an executive from Space Monkey Records, stops by and is immediately captivated by Sky’s performance. Birk rushes to sign her to the label, injecting new life into her career. Sam, who happens to be a talented guitarist, joins Sky’s band and is swept up in the excitement. Sky even begins to reconnect with Joe, her ex-boyfriend and former bandmate. But just as everything seems to be falling into place for her, she’s diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. Against medical advice, she refuses treatment in order to keep performing. The pain and stress of her condition, coupled with the ceaseless demands of her newfound stardom, push her ever closer to her previous excesses. Knudsen’s novel is tense and unrelenting; the author masterfully creates an immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere as Sky’s health, relationships, and sense of self become increasingly strained. Sky remains a likable, if flawed, protagonist throughout, and readers will find themselves rooting for her even as she makes questionable decisions. Though the story is engaging, however, it’s not particularly innovative—the plot is fairly formulaic, and the supporting characters, namely Sam and Joe, are underdeveloped. In trying to incorporate both of their storylines, Knudsen falls short in affording either ample attention, lessening their emotional impact.
An overstuffed but absorbing novel about the price of fame.Pub Date: July 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781068850523
Page Count: 326
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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
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