Word: leimbach
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Celia thinks that Lucy's marriage to the unworthy and violent Mikey is a farce. She tries in vain to break up their marriage and uses Sam as the scapegoat. Leimbach strategically juxtaposes the strength of Lucy's marriage against strength of bonds between the members of the Haskell family. Lucy and Mikey, along with their four children share a bond that Sam relates to, despite his growing entanglement with Lucy. Furthermore, Eli, Ginny's boyfriend who owns a nightclub, adds to the chaos and dishevelment of this network. Everyone is knit together closely...
Everything from adultery to death, love to resentment, secrecy to deceit is somehow ratified in this pungent novel about the strength and the burden of relationships. Leimbach punctuates, the gravity of the content of her novel with warmth and amusement, using her literary prowess to impress the reader without being depressing...
...Leimbach's use of minutiae, such as descriptions of people to acquaint the reader with their personalities, is an effective literary device. Ginny's character is filled with details that reek of adolescence. She is savvy, outgoing , pessimistic and in love. One wonders if Leimbach's years at Harvard have not permeated her creation of this character: Ginny is the ultimate Harvard Square yuppie, dressed either in a motorcycle jacket or her bohemian attire...
...Ginny embodies your image of the place. But even for people who haven't,. Ginny stricks that universal chord in everyone: she is young, stubborn and impressionable but independent. She reminds us of our own youth, or what our younger sisters are like. In short, she is instantly identifiable. Leimbach uses Ginny tactfully to tie together the innumerable loose strands that hang from the cloth that comprises this narrative: Ginny draws together all these loose ends and is the catalyst for the consolidation of this story. Leimbach flavors her narrative with an assortment of literary devices, from sarcasm to poignance...
...Leimbach's second novel, Sun Dial Street, is an affecting, amusing and unpredictable blend of characters and events that ring true in the minds of readers when they enter the realm of the chaotic Haskell family. This book marks an achievement for this young author, and if this is just the chrysalis, you had better be prepared for some fascinating future attempts...