The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club

 

Sushi! Yummy!

This book was a bit of a clunker for me.  Christy York sets out to write a book about Idaho and well that kind of motivation always frightens me.  I’m a firm believer in organic writing, in that you should write about what ideas are coming out of the ether as opposed to having an agenda and forcing a story.  Anywho….

 

The four women friends of the sushi club meet monthly for sushi and gossip, sharing of themselves and their lives and supporting each others endeavors:

 

Irene is an aging soap opera star, married to plastic surgeon Naji with an Islamic extremist brother who has never approved of Irene. 

 

 Mary is a 40-year-old virgin who’s just never found the right man and isn’t willing to settle for second best. 

 

 Jina is a twice married single mother who lost her second husband in a tragic accident on the Salmon River in Idaho.  Zach had the brilliant idea to traverse the river in a scow, like in olden days with his pregnant and unskilled bride.  Tragedy, quite obviously ensued.  Problem is, Jina has raised their son Daniel on her own and never recovered from the loss of Zach. 

 

Alice is the struggling writer who listens to everyone’s story then one day has the bright idea to write a book entitled The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club exposing Irene’s adulterous affairs, Mary’s frigid singlehood, and Jina’s tragedy that has left her frozen in time, and is ruining any chance at happiness with her current boyfriend, Mike.

 

The book is an instant hit, complete with movie deal, rocketing Alice to instant success but the three women whose stories are so brutally exposed are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.  They decide to take a rafting trip on the Salmon River and the close confines, not to mention the struggles of the trip, help the women put their lives and friendship back together.

 

Some interesting plot twists with Jina and Zach help make the trip and story bearable, but though Mary, Irene and Alice have problems to battle the book is predominantly told from Jina’s point of view and the focus Is very much Jina’s battle with the Salmon River, the river that took Zach’s life, and her struggle to overcome her fears.  It’s not a bad read, I just found the book a little contrived at times.  Unfortunately the highlight of the book was picking one more off my TBR bookcase (ouch).

 

Till next time, happy reading!

L J

 

 

TBR = 19

WPL = 25