 Lori L. Lake reviewsKarin Kallmaker's Maybe Next Time
& Cate Swannell's Heart's Passage |
 Maybe
Next TimeBy Karin Kallmaker Bella Books,P.O. Box 10543,Tallahassee, FL. 32302 2003/242 pgs/$12.95/ISBN: 1931513260 As a child prodigy, musical genius, and later, world-class concert violinist, Bree Starling seems to lead a charmed life. She has it all: fame, fortune, women falling at her feet, but she doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs—except when she’s playing music. “She was a musician, she was haole, she was Hawaiian, a mainlander, an islander…the list was long and it swirled like an arpeggio, different notes for different pieces of herself. The arpeggio became a chord and for a shining moment she understood all mysteries and magic, all wonder and music” (p. 37). Through music she has managed to live a life that is, if not fulfilling, at the least busy and remarkable. But her world crashes in dissonance when a wrist injury keeps her from playing her beloved violin. When one of the most important people in her family dies, she is left to deal with the brokenness of her career, her life, and her past. A story of intense grief, MAYBE NEXT TIME doesn’t pull any punches. Kallmaker has taken on not only a tough subject, but she’s chosen a difficult structure in which to tell the tale. The story of the journey Bree takes to her childhood island home in Hawaii is punctuated by glimpses backwards of her early years, the deaths of her parents, her first love, her many losses, and the singular joy she felt when she lost herself in playing violin. The reader can experience that movement, back and forth from past to present, like the shift in an orchestral piece—or as something jarring and irritating. Bree is, however, a fascinating character, so full of sadness and pain that one can’t help but hope she is not as self-destructive as she appears. Even when she does something despicable or destructive, she is still a sympathetic character, and we hope for her healing and redemption. The story unfolds, solving the puzzles of Bree’s life in a satisfying way, but first, we’re put through the wringer of angst and grief, finally emerging, relieved, but not unscathed. MAYBE NEXT TIME is a memorable and intense tale a little different from what Kallmaker has done in the past, and I applaud her for stretching her narrative powers. |
 Heart’s
PassageBy Cate Swannell Regal CrestEnterprises, PMB 210,8691 9th Avenue,Port Arthur,TX. 77642-8025 2003/314 pgs/$17.95/ISBN: 1932300090 Jo Madison, skipper of a pleasure cruiser in theWhitsunday Islands of Australia, is a woman hiding in plain sight. She has a shady and violent past, but for several years she has put it behind her and settled into a peaceful life. When she is assigned to captain a cruise for a lesbian U.S. senator and her entourage, she meets Cadie Jones, the mercurial senator’s girlfriend. Jo and Cadie feel an immediate connection and become fast friends, but all isn’t well for long. The senator is not who she presents herself to be, but then again, neither is Jo. When Jo’s former associates come after her, everyone is in danger, and whom can Jo trust? This romantic triangle, the political intrigue, and theGreat Barrier Reef setting add up to a rollicking fun read. Debut novelist Swannell manages to make Cadie’s voice sound American, while somehow, Jo’s has the Aussie inflection. There are some twists and turns to the plot, not all of which can be predicted, and the villains are appropriately villainous while the heroines are winsome and plucky. A satisfying read which I heartily recommend. ~Lori L. Lake, author of Different Dress, Gun Shy, Under The Gun,and Ricochet In Time,and reviewer for Midwest Book Review, The Independent Gay Writer, The Gay Read, and Just About Write. |