The Lifeguards: A Novel

This book just seemed all over the place. There were so many loose threads started that never seemed to connect. The end was just so many questions left unanswered.

I tore through this book in two days. The writing was excellent, the premise was juicy and there were a lot of plot developments to keep you turning the pages.Ultimately though, the ending was kind of a let down. It’s like the author decided to change from writing a novel to writing woman’s fiction at the last minute.A pivotal confrontation at the end gets cut short and we never really find out what happens. I would have liked to know more about Lucy and the twists and turns that her down her path.I really enjoyed the bunker symbolism and plot device, very cool and creepy.Spoiler alert: if you haven’t read this book, read no further.Some plots, like the heroin junkie dad and Liza and the Detectives romance just didn’t pay off. Would have loved to instead hear things from the husbands perspectives, as they were all super weird and interesting.It seems like the author was saying Lion’s sociopath tendencies were a red herring, and it was actually Whitney who was the sociopath and passed the tendencies down to Roma. That is a super interesting twist but it’s never really explored. Why else would Whitney incriminate Roma for drugs instead of just have her commmitted? Did Whitney actually kill the guy in New Zealand? Or the Lion did? Why does it seem like Xavier is just totally fine in the last scene when his mom was murdered and his sister in prison for murder

Liza. Annette. Whitney: Each woman seemingly different. Different backgrounds. Different stories, but all three held captive by something. Liza jailed by image (both past and present). Annette confined by citizenship. And Whitney held captive by wealth and a sociopathic daughter. Each woman raising their boys together. The boys are all 15 now and serving as lifeguards in their subdivision when there is an untimely death by a college aged girl. The boys happen upon the girl’s body unleashing a hurricane of questions and very few answers. Navigating through the summer and crossing back to the day of the young lady’s death – the town, the moms, the boys, and the police officers try to untangle the web and the more they discover – the more they wish they hadn’t. I devoured this book. I thought it was a relaxed summer read so I was pleasantly surprised to be taken on a bumpy ride over the waves and rocks of Austin’s “Zilker Park”.

I read this book in one sitting, I wanted to enjoy it but I feel like the characters never fully developed, especially Annette, she was just a Latina character written by a white lady with all the stereotypes and none of the depth. The book alluded to all of these deep secrets that with the exception of Whitney, were underwhelming, then after all of this time building up, the denouement was rushed and flat. You don’t really find out what happened in the big climax, it’s just a flash forward to a happy ending with no details of how they got there.

This was a good summer read--but one thing bugged me--the boys are 15 (that's mentioned over and over), but they are driving. Details like that make me crazy.