I have recently finished reading “The Club,” by Jacqueline Kang. It released in March, and has been on my considerable “to read” pile for a while, but I am glad I finally snuck some time to read this wonderful book.
First of all, the cover art is stunning and evocative. The picture of the pool at The Club – a fitness center that is the primary setting in the book – fits the book well, with its hints of upper-class chic and cool and impersonal distance. It personifies the primary challenge that the main character, Ireland Jacobson, must overcome – the story’s antagonist, her mother, the owner of The Club.
I was sucked into Ireland’s life immediately as she tries to cope with losing her fiance to a tragic accident. She also must manage her impossible relationship with her narcissistic mother and with her beloved twin, for whom she’s sacrificed everything, including the power of choice in her life.
Things get more and more complicated for Ireland as she learns that her father – the man she’s believed dead for her entire life – is alive after all. But is he any more interested in a relationship with her than her cold and calculating mother? I was compelled to read further to find out how she was going to solve the challenge of her twisted family dynamics and take charge of her own destiny.
At different points, I had no idea how she was going to fix the problems the other characters foisted upon her, and the suspense built inexorably all the way until the end. The author’s choice of present tense heightens the tension and provides an immediacy and closeness with the character that keeps you glued to the page. I couldn’t put it down.
Kang does a wonderful job with lyrical and lush description. Her settings of The Club in the Seattle area and tropical Oahu are places you’re going to enjoy visiting.
I know a book has touched me when I find myself pondering the character and the situations they are facing while in the shower. This is one of those books – a poignantly honest family drama that will stay with you long after you close the cover.
Jacqueline Kang’s novel is a “self isolation” must read, and you won’t regret picking it up.
