April & Oliver

Book No: 41
Title: April & Oliver
Author: Tess Callahan
Genre: Fiction
Completed: 7/25/09
No. of Pages: 326
Rating: 3/5*****

I was looking forward to this book based on a review I read in my local paper. I enjoy stories about star-crossed relationships, where two people seem to be destined to be together and somehow things just never work out right; as an added bonus the book was set in my home of Long Island, so I was looking forward to some local flavor. I was disappointed on both counts, the book could have been set anywhere and the relationship between April & Oliver seemed rather dysfunctional.

April is clearly a troubled woman, looking for love with the wrong kind of men, obviously keeping some secrets about her past. Oliver is the perfect man, he does all the right things and everyone loves him. The two grew up together as family related by marriage, but not blood relatives. They are the best of childhood friends but as often happens go their separate ways when Oliver leaves for college. Now Oliver is back in town, engaged to the lovely Bernadette and he is drawn to helping April when her brother dies in a car accident.

This is very much a character driven story but the characters often seemed stereotypical –April is tragic but good, Oliver is the golden boy, Bernadette is all too understanding, Oliver’s brother Al is a bachelor always on the prowl – all people I have met in books before. Even Nana, who was my favorite character, was a nice, slightly befuddled yet well meaning grandmother. Nothing groundbreaking in the writing here; you know what will happen in the end, although it isn’t picture perfect it is certainly what you are waiting for. On the whole I found it a good if predictable story.