|
Twenty-nine year old Mari Hamilton has set a deadline for her perfect life to happen. By her thirtieth birthday, she hopes to leave her ordinary job as the activities director for the Golden Horizons Retirement Center to a glamorous job at a trendy day spa. The perfect Christian boyfriend, or at least a date, would be nice too.
Hip to be Square chronicles Mari’s striving toward those goals and the discoveries she makes along the way. The book has all the standard hallmarks of inspirational chick-lit: three wacky but loyal friends complete with their own set of issues, fashion faux pas, embarrassing moments, unresolved issues with parents and a strong dose of self-deprecating humor. At the same time, Hope Lyda offers a fresh enough perspective to keep the book from falling into formula. The Tucson setting is unique from the usual California or New York. Lyda’s portrayal and inclusion of elderly characters in a genre normally reserved for character under thirty is refreshing. In particular, the character of Tess, Mari’s senior confidant, adds dimension.
Perhaps the component that makes chick-lit so popular is that it veers away from the usual idealized perfect Christian characters. In Hip to be Square the honesty is probably most clearly revealed in the character of Angelica, one of Mari’s friends. Angelica only reveals her Christianity when she is around other Christians.
The book offers a fun, authentic picture of what it means to be Christian and single in today’s culture. Lyda weaves a complicated tapestry of plots and subplots that wrap up nicely by the end. Even the issues in Chapter One, a scene from Mari’s childhood, which at first seem out of place and disconnected are beautifully stitched into the larger story by the end. Throughout Hip to be Square, I rooted for and laughed with Mari Hamilton. Hip to be Square is a positive contribution to the growing genre of inspirational chick-lit.
Reviewed by Sharon Dunn
for The Road to Romance
February 22, 2006
|
