Susanna Daniel (1)

This is a compelling read, in part because of the hints dropped casually like pebbles in the ocean and the oppressive feeling-- not unlike the humidity -- that something bad will happen. We learn that Georgia and her husband Graham are headed south for a fresh start, moving from IL to Miami, FL where her Dad and his wife Lidia are. We don’t know why they need a fresh start. We learn that their 3-1/2 yr. old son Frankie no longer speaks, but we don’t know why. We learn that Georgia suffers from insomnia and Graham suffers from parasomnia, a more drastic sleep condition that includes sleepwalking, so he avoids sleep, but we don’t know the toll this takes on the family. And as narrator, Georgia drops in a lot of “if I’d know then….” type of comments, so of course we want to find out where it is all headed. The fresh start includes a new job for Graham at Rosential/U of Miami using his marine physics degree; he eventually heads offshore for a length of time for work. For Georgia it is to be errand-runner to Charlie Hicks, an artist-hermit who lives in Stiltsville, about a mile out to sea in a small house built on pilings in the ocean (true place!). Frankie accompanies her on these runs and both he and Charlie benefit. For Frankie it is a new pediatrician who doesn’t accept his mutism, and also a speech pathologist who helps him make a breakthrough. The little family lives on a houseboat, moored right off her parents’ house in a canal. Haunting all this dynamic is Georgia’s dead mother, a cancer victim, which is all brought closer to mind by proximity. You can kind of see the storm brewing here…. and it all culminates in Hurricane Andrew, which gives the story a more definitive setting. Clever interplay of characters, thoughtful prose, beautiful ocean imagery and a captivating plot line as you try to determine what is lurking just below the surface. Cue the Jaws music.… (meer)

Bizarre character and situational backgrounds make this one interesting. Severe insomnia, childhood trauma, houses on stilts, Hurricane Andrew...and the kitchen sink. This one explores so many reasons why people should be licensed to raise children, and how those too immature to take care of themselves still end up doing their best in raising a child, with mixed results. It's also why a license to marry isn't a guarantee that'll work out for the best either. Humans are ridiculous, and this group of misfit toys makes the book work. Lots to hash out at book club, folks.… (meer)