Author: Dana Reinhardt
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 288
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Pages: 288
Tomorrow There Will
Be Sun represents the hope of the protagonist, Jenna Carson, that no matter how
rainy and dreary the situation may be today, it could all change for the better
on the morrow.
Jenna books her
own family and that of her husband Peter’s best friend Solly into a villa in
Mexico. It is supposed to be a week-long dream vacation with breathtaking ocean
views and unlimited margaritas. Solly’s family consists of his wife, Ingrid,
their 5-year-old son Ivan, and 17-year-old Malcolm, Solly’s son from his first
wife, Maureen.
They are here to
celebrate Peter’s 50th birthday, three days later, and Solly’s too,
some months hence.
As expected, the
dream vacation quickly unravels. Jenna’s daughter, 17-year-old Clem, spends
most of her time online, distant from her parents, or in the company of
Malcolm, who has been in trouble with the authorities and has been expelled
from his school. On the very first day, Peter gets a call from Gavriella, his
gorgeous assistant and lies to Jenna about the nature of the call. Could he be
having an affair?
To complicate
matters further, Jenna is dissatisfied about a number of things. Having
published three successful YA books, she is unhappy at facing writer’s block
while she works on her fourth, already two months overdue for submission to her
publisher. On the other hand, Ingrid, at work on her first book, is breezing
ahead with inspiration at 1000 words a day and has turned out a fabulous book.
Also, Jenna has recovered
from cancer, a fact that Peter doesn’t seem to take seriously.
She is also displeased
with how much Solly seems to take Peter for granted. They are business
partners, but Peter works longer hours while Solly earns more.
No matter how hard
she tries, it seems as if all that Jenna touches turns bad: her relationship
with her daughter, with her husband, even her writing. Will this dream vacation
tighten the bonds that hold families and couples together or will it undo
everything that Jenna has worked hard to build?
The week of the
dream vacation coincides with the culmination of the Christian period of Lent,
the Holy Week. But since the characters were either Jewish or atheist, the
symbolism that might have been utilized to good effect was not capitalized on.
I felt sorry for
Malcolm, who feels out of place in his father’s new family, and whose efforts
are snubbed.
I liked the fact
that Jenna was a writer, worried about characters and plot, voices and
narratives and story arcs.
The action,
however, isn’t all that interesting, and the dynamic between the couples
doesn’t hold more than a passing interest.
