Siddalee Walker is a successful theater director in Seattle who must reconcile with her difficult mother Vivi, one of the Ya-Yas, a group of Louisiana women who have been friends since childhood. Rebecca Wells's novel is told through monologues, letters and short chapters from different family members, covering the Walkers' life in Louisiana in the 1960s and 1970s. It shows the cost of Vivi's drinking and her fits of rage, her husband Taylor's efforts to protect his children, and the loyalty and humor of the Ya-Yas, who also hold up the family.
It's a good book for readers who liked Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, or who enjoy Southern family stories. It's about mothers and daughters, secrets and forgiveness, with a mixture of comedy and hurt.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1992
- Language
- EN
