Goodbye Lemon Review

The Plot:

Jack Tennant, a would-be classical pianist and English professor. He could have been the next musical prodigy. Instead, he's 33 and reviewing concerts for an Atlanta alt-weekly. He hasn't seen his parents in 15 years, but when his father has a  stroke, his girlfriend, Hahva, (who is also a social worker) convinces Jack that they should drive north and make peace so that he may put his demons to rest.

Hahva doesn't know that she's walking into a family drama that makes Oedipus look like The Brady Bunch. Jack has never mentioned a second brother, Dex, who drowned at the age of 6. For the past 25 years, Jack has slept with Dex's orange flip-flop under his mattress, but he can't handle saying his brother's name. Indeed, his entire family dealt with the tragedy by never discussing it again. The one time Jack tried, wagging his finger and accusing his father of negligence, his dad broke it. The Juilliard dreams ended and Jack's resentments began.

My Take:

This book is so neurotic, everyone is bound to find some link to their own families. Adam Davies's greatest accomplishment in this book is his ability to make us feel sorry for Jack, all the while realizing that he is blaming the world for his problems, avoiding the truth and in the process he is self destructing.

Davies creates a book that is quirky, full of witty humor. his characters are colorful and engaging. the novel brings to light  humanity at its rawest, in all its messiness. Davies still ensnares the empathy of readers and helps them laugh with the young man who calls his childhood home the "Suicide Palace."