What a bizarre and delightful book! I thought I wouldn’t be interested in it, but I couldn’t put it down. Is every book set in Florida weird? Does every book in Florida make me think fans of Carl Hiassen would like it? Because is weird and I do think Hiassen fans might like it. The story is told from varying points of view from each of the characters:
Marylou: given a radioactive cocktail in the 50s when pregnant, as a result her daughter died of cancer at 8 and she’s been sad and bitter ever since. Now in her 70s Marylou calls herself Nance and moves to Tallahassee to track down the doctor responsible and kill him.
Wilson Spriggs: the doctor, now elderly and suffering from dementia, he lives with his daughter and her family
Otis, Ava, and Suzi: the grandchildren, two of who have Aspberger’s. Suzi, the “normal” one is athletic and eager for attention from her mother, Otis is (ironically) conducting secret experiments with radiation
Caroline: fixated on her eldest child and going nuts from menopause
Vic: fixated on work and bummed that is wife is so nutty
When Nance enters their lives she decides to mess with all of them and ends up becoming remarkably entwined with the family. This whole story was nutty and hilarious, but I really liked how it wasn’t all just about laughs. Each character was well developed and you understood their place in the family. I’m sure this book will be a big hit and I’ll certainly be passing it around to friends.
