Matt McAvoy Book Review

Soap-like melodrama doesn’t come much more for the purist than this slice-of-life exploration deep into family dynamics and relationships generally; from a three decade love triangle, through running a billion-dollar corporation to fears over hosting Thanksgiving dinner, there is more than an air of Dynasty about this – and much of it is even set in the same city, of Denver, I believe.  I liked it for the most part; Wyvonne Page is articulate eloquent and, I’m sure, utterly elegant.  She writes with a genuine class and style, and it is apparent that there is a great deal of love gone into this labour – indeed, the love in this book is present in its pages; regardless of family troubles, arguments and turmoil, love for each other, humanity and the characters’ faith in God are unambiguously the cornerstones of its narrative foundation.

This is one to lock yourself away with, if you are to immerse fully in the lives of its ensemble cast of characters, with their various storylines; you’ll want to give this one your full attention.  The writing is quality, and it means well; there is little in the book that isn’t wholesome; suggested, sure, but not explicit in its use of sex or language, as such soap opera gloss can tend to be; I think this one is all about Wyvonne, and it was a pleasure to read her work.  It was immediately apparent that this is a multi-racial family, and it is always good that the author doesn’t shy away from addressing the particular challenges that couples may face in this respect, as many authors tend to do.  That said, occasionally referencing colour felt a little unnecessary and made you wonder if it was relevant to context; sometimes it was, sometimes not.  The affection and respect between characters is always there, however; a constant throughout.  If I were to notice a fault – which I don’t want to do, if I’m honest, but it did niggle me occasionally – it is that the book occasionally slipped into present tense.  This wasn’t a mistake, but a choice the author made when describing some characters’ present situations or events.  It isn’t a big issue, and many won’t notice, but it did catch me off guard once or twice, if I’m truthful.

Overall, an enjoyable book in a crystal-clear genre.  Vivid and cheerful, I would say, and surely set to spawn a sequel or two – some soaps run for decades, after all!  With an endearing tone and premise, likeable characters and a good, warm-hearted author, why not Wyvonne’s?