Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Malibu Rising
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Contemporary
Date: 25 August 2021
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I went to Pune and bought books from Solanki’s. No one is surprised.
I have been meaning to read this book since the day it was released. Actually, to be frank, I have wanted to read everything that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes since the day I finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and fell absolutely in love with the story. I met a roadblock while reading, trying to read (?), Daisy Jones and the Six, in that I didn’t get beyond 20 pages. Maybe I should give it another try because even though Malibu Rising wasn’t as good as, I’m just going to shorten the name, TSHOEH, it was a great read that I flew through.
Malibu Rising essentially follows the four kids of legendary singer Mick Riva: Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. The story takes place over 24 hours as the siblings prepare for their iconic end of summer party in Nina’s Malibu home and during the chaotic mess that the party turns into. But through these 24 hours, the reader is taken on a journey through the lives of the Riva siblings and their parents. TJR gives us a lifetime of heartbreak, love and, what I enjoyed most about TSHOEH, drama. And all along there is the looming presence of one of Malibu’s fires.
I loved the Riva family with all its complexities. But more than that I love this world that TJR builds. Malibu Rising is set in world, by that I don’t only mean the physical location even though I have never been to Malibu, I mean the social landscape that she creates with her characters, their friends and the circles that they belong to, that is unrelatable. In the case of TSHOEH, it was about old Hollywood and the production houses and in this case it is a constantly evolving world of musicians, surfers, models, sportpersons, actors and basically the uber rich. But somehow with her amazing storytelling ability TJR makes these characters relatable, reminding us once again that at the core we all have very similar life experiences, thoughts and emotions, whether we live in a grand mansion on a cliff in Malibu or a flat without a view in Mumbai. The casual elegance of NIna, the insecurities that Jay harbours, the questions Hud has about his past and the awkwardness that Kit feels in her own skin, makes these characters real.
The setting of the coast is so vividly described that I could feel the crash of the waves and the smell the briny seafish at Riva’s Seafood. The dark and seedy world that Mick dives head first into after his initial fame is described with the same lasciviousness that I enjoyed reading about in TSHOEH. The despair of June and the never-ending circle of circumstances that mothers and daughters have to face is extremely well-handled. And I repeat once again, the dramais just the right amount of I need popcorn with this book, if that could be a legitimate description. TJR could write a Grey’s Anatomy-esque show set in the world of celebrity culture and I mean this as the best possible compliment.
But the second half of the book felt kind of flat to me. The sheer number of characters just got out of hand so I could barley keep track of who was who. I love the eccentricities that TJR gives even the smallest of characters but when she is juggling 25 odd characters it is difficult to remember the details about their lives and careers. Having said that I liked the way the ends were tied with each character but the format took away from my enjoyment. The first half, especially with June and Mick’s story and the revelations about each character, was flawless to me. (I absolutely loved the reference to TSHOEH and I hope TJR write more books in this rich universe that she has created.) And I will probably sometime in the future write an entire article about Nina Riva’s character, so there’s that to look forward to!
To top it all off, the synopsis of the book gives away too much. The joy of reading these kinds of books is the revelation of secrets and details. Even though the plot twists are not the goosebump-raising kind that thrillers are known for, there is a satisfaction when a niggling suspicion about a character is confirmed or when you know what another character is going to soon find out and feel a mixture of dread and anticipation. The synopsis behind the book, and on Goodreads, completely gives away details about the story that take away this fun.
All in all, this was a great read despite my complaints. I can’t wait for TJR to write more books or I’m just gonna end up reading Daisy Jones and the Six.