Unlike Lisa Lutz's comic novels about the Spellman family, this novel focuses on three women who become friends in college and remain in each other's lives for decades.
Anna, Kate, and George (short for Georgiana) meet at the University of California at Santa Cruz and become roommates.
Like many college students, these prank-loving girls drink and party almost as much as they study.
In time the girls graduate and go their separate ways, but they remain close, and are usually ready to help when called upon.
*****
Anna Fury comes from a well-to-do, but dysfunctional, Boston family. Her banker father is distant; her socialite mother is controlling; and - when teenage Anna was still living at home - she started hiding out and running away.
After Anna becomes 'an emancipated woman' at college, she acts out in roguish ways that slow down, but don't derail, her plans to become a doctor.
Once Anna enters the medical profession, her access to drugs, continued drinking, and reckless behavior has unfortunate repercussions. Anna has very little conscience, and seems almost oblivious to the harm her behavior does to others.
One night, Anna's careless actions lead to an event that has profound repercussions for everyone involved.
*****
Kate Smirnoff was orphaned at the age of eight, and raised by her Czech grandfather, who runs a diner in Santa Cruz. Kate intends to take over the diner when her grandpa retires, so she takes business and restaurant classes to further that goal.
When Kates's plans don't work out as she'd hoped, she reacts badly, and her troubles escalate after a tragic event. All this affects Kate's outlook and behavior, and - in time - leads to a unique mission.
Kate is the most immature and self-indulgent of the three women, and needs a real 'kick in the pants' to get going.
*****
George Leoni is a tall athletic beauty who loves the outdoors and majors in forestry.
George is close to her father Bruno- a personable man who sometimes visits George and her friends at school, bringing ingredients for a delicious meal.
After graduation, George becomes a forest ranger, and is happy with her job until she's sidetracked by a handsome man. In fact George's irresistible attraction to sexy men is the driving force in her life, and leads her down paths she didn't anticipate.
Of the trio of friends, George is the most likely to ask for help, though she almost never takes the good advice others offer.
*****
The two decades after college are challenging for all three women, and we learn about their lives in snippets that jump around in time. I think the author chose this scattershot approach to heighten the suspense. For example, when we meet Anna she's a thirtysomething paralegal with a medical degree, and we wonder how she got there. I wasn't overly bothered by the time-hopping, but many reviewers find it confusing and unnecessary.
Secondary characters add interest to the book, and there are some adorable children whose antics made me smile.
I think most people would find it hard to be best friends with these women. Kate and George have bad judgment that affects everyone around them, and Anna is flat out selfish and unlikable. Still, the story is engaging, and the women are interesting to read about.
Rating: 3 stars
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