Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge - Abdi Nazemian's The Walk-In Closet

Kara has just turned thirty and she's living a fabulous life. She had a gorgeous apartment, designer clothes and a car, all courtesy of the Ebadi's. Leila and Hossein Ebadi are the parents of Kara's best friend, Bobby. Bobby is a one-hit wonder screenwriter and party boy, with a serious failure to launch problem. The Ebadi's have fallen in love with Kara and they fund her lifestyle in hopes that she will marry Bobby. They desperately want to see their son settle down, the only problem is Bobby is gay. Gay and very much in the closet when it comes to his family. The arrangement is mutually beneficially and they keep the guise of being in love to keep the financial benefits from his parents. There are two problems, first, the Ebadi's are not the type of parents to stay uninvolved and second, Kara has met a mysterious man whom intrigues her.

Abdi Nazemian's debut novel, The Walk-In Closet, isn't going to be for everyone. The novel, which centers around the lives of friends in their late 20's/early 30's, living in Los Angeles, is filled with frank and often crass dialogue. It's a bit like Sex and the City for a new generation. I found this often salacious story, to be a guilty pleasure read and I enjoyed every minute of it. That said, I would be very careful of which friends I recommend this novel to, just because of the language and subject matters discussed. It presses comfort levels. 

Another layer that made the story compelling, was the peek into a different culture. The Ebadi's have made Kara an honorary member of their family and through this, she learns a lot about Persian culture and the thriving Persian immigrant community in Los Angeles. Growing up in Los Angeles, this is not a community in which I know very many people, so I found it fascinating. Overall, this is a very "Los Angeles" story, filled with many references to the city. I'm not sure how much will be lost on someone who is not familiar with the L.A. As a native, all of the references rang true and felt relevant.

If I were to try to describe these characters, they wouldn't come across as very likable people. They would probably seem shallow and vapid. However, I actually cared for all of them. These are people who are raised during a time of mass consumerism and delayed adulthood. They may have the fortune of being wealthy, but I don't think that makes them unique, it just gives them the ability to consume on a grand scale. These characters feel real, because they are echoed in people that I know. They act the way they do, because it is how they were raised and it's hard to overcome it, especially when the parents keep giving them money. Nazemian has written a very timely story.

The Walk-In Closet is highly entertaining, socially relevant and it even has a few good plot twists. I look forward to future novels by Nazemian, he is a strong new voice in the literary world. 

BookSparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge - Emily Giffin's The One and Only

Because I clearly don't have enough on my plate, I decided to sign up for BookSparks' 2014 Summer Reading Challenge, where I will be sent an early copy of an upcoming novel, in exchange for writing an honest review. I love books and I love writing reviews, so let's do this thing. If I complete the entire challenge, I'll be writing one review a week until September. 

The first book on the challenge is Emily Giffin's The One and Only. I've read all of Giffin's other novels and she is a favorite author of mine, writing chick-lit that's easy enough for a beach read, but carries enough emotional content to be taken seriously. I was excited to have her novel first up, as it is the only book on the challenge from an author that I recognize and a book that I would have made sure to buy upon release. 

The One and Only follows Shea Rigsby, a life-long football fan, turned sports writer. Shea is a bit of a free spirit and a contrast to her childhood best friend, Lucy. Lucy is married with a small child and owns her own designer clothing store. Lucy has taken a predictable and safe path in life and she wants nothing more than to see her best friend settle down with a husband and a stable career. Shea doesn't know what she wants in life. She drifts through different relationships and has spent her working life in a job, rather than a career. She is stalling.

Unfortunately, Shea has taken an interest in Lucy's father, the recently widowed football coach at her alma matter, Walker University. Shea bleed teal for everything Walker Football and also has a idol worship situation towards Coach Carr. Through most of the book it is a mystery as to whether Shea is attracted to him for the man he is or for what he represents. 

Despite all of the football jargon and two main characters (Shea and Lucy) that were fairly unlikeable, the story did hold my interest. I found the dynamic between Shea and Lucy, childhood friends who cannot relate as adults, to be captivating. It's a hard thing to grow apart from someone with whom you were once so close, especially if you have been treated as part of their family. Shea and Lucy try to navigate these tricky waters and still have a relationship, even when things have been strained. It's a compelling scenario. 

The other heart of the story is whether or not Shea is interested in this much older man, because he is her hero, he represents a father figure or she really loves him. There is much mention of her very broken childhood and her absent father, so this theme keeps replaying itself, especially when Coach Carr rescues her in a fatherly manner from a scary situation. The lines are blurred. Sometimes this made for a very uncomfortable story to read, although the taboo subject kept me interested. 

The story is about grey areas and following your gut instinct. 

Overall, I'd recommend The One and Only for fan's of Giffin's novels. I don't think that it's her strongest effort, but it was still a page turner. I plowed through it in just over twenty-four hours and skipped a lot of more important tasks to read "just one more chapter". Giffin is a solid storyteller and a writer worth checking out.