Aggressive hot-shot thirty-eight year old
journalist, Shelby Lazarus, one day gets a panicky call from her sister Lauren, who tells
her that their father and his wife (who’s also their deceased mother’s sister)
have been badly injured in an accident. Since she stopped speaking to any member of her
family two years ago, Shelby isn’t very enthusiastic about rushing over, but still
she returns home to Long Island. Soon after reaching home, Shelby finds events callously
steamrolling her - first she loses her job (panic and disbelief are the order of the day
when this popular journalist discovers she’s not so indispensable), then her new
boyfriend (no great loss, as she didn’t like him anyway), and then she has to go to
the hospital (she’s never been to a doctor’s since her mom died a painful
death from cancer some thirty odd years ago!). Her behavior, bitchy at best, worsens as
each new development ruthlessly socks her in the jaw, so much so that the word
‘Shelby becomes synonymous with ‘shrew’, and she zaps blunt sarcastic zings
left and right, with little thought or consideration for others feelings.
Little does poor frazzled Shelby know that there are major forces at
work here, and that she and events are being manipulated by none other than the spirit of
her long dead mom Sandy, who’s busily stage-managing from up above in order to get
her family happily back together. Unfortunately, as a low-level spirit, Sandy has very
little power, and something always goes wrong with her well-laid plans. Is there some even
higher power at work here?! As the busy little story develops, we see Shelby pine for her
long-lost childhood love (will she ever find him?), her sister asks her for an impossible
favor (is it really so impossible?), painful family secrets come to light, and Shelby has
to finally face her deep-rooted fears in order to restore sense in her hitherto uneventful
world.
This debut effort by author Saralee Rosenberg revolves around a
sarcastic and mean mouthed journalist Shelby and her dysfunctional Jewish family, is
totally engrossing, remarkable at many points and is bound to appeal to a wide range of
readers. Shelby is very convincing in her selfishness and pessimism, though the author
keeps overdoing her stubbornness and sarcasm. As the book progresses, she suddenly changes
and becomes a much better person, while not entirely giving up her old habits. This is not
so very believable, but suits the direction of the story. The delightful and interfering
spirit of Shelby’s mom is also the narrator and fills in relevant details when
needed, and overall adds mischief and fun to the whole scenario. There are many characters
in this book and the author has done a bang-up job of making them all realistic and
amusing. The story also deals with and relates significant information about the misuse of
the fertility drug DES and the problems it unleashed among women everywhere, and which
persist to date. Different facets of familial relationship are dealt with and form the
core of this sparkling book, which is written with wit and wisdom.
This is one of the most entertaining books ever, but one which also
contains a message(s). Just wonderful.
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
May 1, 2003 |
