The Golden State

Overwhelmed. What do we do when we become overwhelmed? Most of us make a change of one sort or another. When Daphne, the protagonist of Lydia Kiesling’s debut novel titled, The Golden State, feels her world about to come apart, she leaves San Francisco with her daughter, Honey, and heads to the high desert in California to a mobile home she inherited from her grandparents. Daphne tries to talk to her husband every day. He is stranded in Turkey after some processing error invalidated his green card. Bewildered by what to do next, Daphne meets interesting characters with complicated lives, some provide help, others create barriers. The fine prose that accompanies us on Daphne’s journey makes the trip very pleasurable. Daphne is caught in this overwhelmed state in a divided world, and she does what every person does: something next. Fans of good writing, and anyone with a narrow view of life in California should consider reading this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Golden State from amazon.com.