REUNION

Julia Whelan's comedic timing is on display in this deceptively charming novel. Kate is a soon-to-be-divorced, 30-something failed screenwriter with an addiction to lying who has reluctantly returned home for her father's funeral. Admittedly, Kate is not immediately likable--she's often saying, thinking, or doing the wrong things--but she's fully recognizable. Whelan embraces Kate's sardonic tone while allowing room for her growing self-awareness. Typical of family reunion stories, truths are revealed, and tensions abound between a wide cast of characters. Whelan succeeds at keeping each of them distinguished and familiar, despite their changing states of emotion or inebriation. A.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2014]