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When I picked up this paperback at the airport, it looked like an easy poolside read. The cover pictures women floating in the pool playing cards while they sip martinis. And I found it to be a satisfying read with substance. The author can dish out emotional impact and then some through beautifully crafted sentences that reflect a precise feeling.
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons is a novel about five women who all live on Freesia Court, somewhere in Minnesota. The five women— Faith, Slip, Kari, Merit, and Audrey—get acquainted during a power outage that forces everyone out of their houses. After an impromptu snowball fight and some whiskey, they decide to start a book club called Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. This book is a chronicle of their meetings from the late ‘60s to the ‘90s.
The author uses an interesting narration technique. Each chapter represents a different book club meeting written from the perspective of the hostess. Each character has demons to fight and personal victories to brag about. They all have their secrets; one writes letters to her dead mama, one adopts a baby with secret parentage, the most physically beautiful one is beaten, one is trying to deal with her son’s sexual orientation, and one has a cheating husband. The women struggle through pregnancy, child-raising, husband problems, women’s issues, and the issues of the day. The group becomes a safety net where they can share their secrets, knowing the other women will offer quality emotional support. God help the man who hurts an Angry Housewife—because one of the women knows how to use a gun.
Men are rarely invited to the group, but one day Audrey’s brother, Fred, barges in on a meeting, not long after returning from Vietnam. Drunk and disillusioned, he tells the women a violent and hopeless story that leaves them speechless. Years later, another man is allowed entry into the club after years of unwavering friendship to Audrey. Grant makes a quality addition to the group with his insights and compassion.
The theme of the book is obvious: nurture your friendships; they can last a lifetime. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons will make you want to start—or join—a book club of your own.
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