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A thoughtful friend gave me this latest Karin Kallmaker novel for Christmas - signed no less! - and it was a true delight to read. Pride & Prejudice is one of those books I know I *ought* to have read, but I haven't. Since it's apparently the birthplace of the romance novel - and the blueprint from which Just Like That was developed - I think I have to read it.
There were plenty of twists and turns in the story. I knew all along that somehow Toni would save the day, but exactly how was a surprise. I knew that Toni would declare herself in love with Syrah but sat there with my mouth hanging open when Syrah threw every word back in Toni's face. Syrah and Toni struggle to understand each other, and both of them are more than willing to let their pride and their misconceptions flourish.
Meanwhile, Jane and Missy, in beautiful contrast, take one look and fall madly in love. Everything goes easily - well, until well-meaning friends get in the way. At one point Syrah says that looking at their happiness felt like it was breaking her heart, since her own eluded her.
The prose of this tale is easy and rich. Others have of course compared it to wine, which is natural, so I won't. Even though it's the perfect comparison. The story comes to the reader without a lot of effort, but thoughtful consideration of the intricacies of the emotions involved, as well as the structured metaphors of nature, only deepened the pleasure for me.
I think my favorite scene was when Toni accidentally catches Syrah and Jane skinnydipping - the layers to all of that exchange are wonderful with Syrah angry for the dust settling on the grapes from Toni's thoughtless driving and Toni hardly listening as she contemplates Syrah's half-covered bum. And the visual of the Sophia-Lorenesque Syrah in nothing but a wet T-shirt...pure eye candy. Be still my libido!
I can't wait for Karin's next book - every single one is a different iteration of the lesbian romance novel, each a gem in its own right, often for different reasons. It wasn't that long ago I thought romance novels had nothing to offer a sophisticated reader. I was wrong. I admit it. This is pure romance and I think I'll read Pride & Prejudice very soon.
Kinda Bummed
I went into this book knowing how it was going to end because as with all of her books you know going into it how it is going to end (a perk indeed when it comes to me and "trashy lesbian romance novels"). The premise was amazingly good...it caught and kept my attention. I just found that with this particular book it lagged a bit more than in books past. I understand that suspending disbelief is one of the HUGE attractions of a great romance book...(believe me...I get and appreciate that..just ask my girlfriend or my bookcase stuffed with books) I just after getting to the declaration of love found myself rolling my eyes a bit and wondering...how is this at ALL possible when you have less time together than it could even take someone to fall into complete lust?? The girls in the movie "Better than Chocolate" spent more time together before their declaration (ok..perhaps its a close tie)
This book does have some great moments like the entire party scene and the stargazing scene and I by no means wish to stray people away from this book completely. Karin is a great writer and in the romance department I can't write a novel even a quarter as great. I would just say that she has a great collection of books, and if you are looking for a big bang introduction this is not the one I would wade into first.
Why do I read Karin Kallmaker?
Friends ask why I prefer her work over most of the other lesbian fiction writers out there, and by the time I'm done explaining they're not listening any more. I read a variety of writers, too, and there are many good ones out there, to be sure. But Kallmaker is easily my favorite, and here in Just Like That is the perfect example of why.
When Syrah and Toni leave dinner together, after what neither of them will admit is a date, we know they are probably headed for a sexual encounter. Many writers can competently get the two women into bed, the sex will happen and on goes the story. Kallmaker, however, layers the scene between Syrah and Toni with other elements an attentive reader can appreciate, elements that deepen the conflict and shed light on the nature of the two women and what they would bring to the eventual relationship we hope they will forge.
To open the possibility of privacy, on the drive home, Syrah suggests taking the back roads. On the surface, that's a simple writer's choice to deepen the intimacy. But the back roads lead through the vineyards of Syrah's family, the land that she labors in and loves. To enter, Syrah herself gets out and opens the gate. Metaphorically, she actively invites Toni into her private world, one full of green and life and perhaps even magic starlight that a jaded New Yorker can feel.
While the subtlety of the place might escape Toni, the pull of sensual nature - and Syrah's marked sensuality when in her fields - is powerful. It's the always-in-control Toni who is overwhelmed and Syrah who gives, eagerly and naturally, the pleasure. She's in her element and has let Toni in - for the moment.
When Toni tries to return the pleasure, however, Syrah is spooked. Could it be because Toni is offering only her body and not her inner self? Could it be that Syrah senses that there is no place - yet - that touches Toni's soul the way the vineyards touch Syrah's? These questions and insecurities are embedded into the sexual exchange, not tacked on after - that's the magic Kallmaker creates. Toni, so rich and eligible, abruptly finds herself the one who is bankrupt in the things that Syrah values.
Many readers will fly through this scene because it's hot - they are after all doing it on the hood of a car under a starlit sky. Kallmaker knows how to turn up the steam in a love scene but she never stops there.
Certainly, the deeper levels in the scene are not essential to understanding the plot or being wholly satisfied by the ending, but for the people who ask me why Karin Kallmaker is my favorite - and in my opinion one of the best lesbian fiction writers out there - that's why.
Her work is as deep or as simple as the reader wants to make it. I read her for depth and have never been disappointed at the skillful and insightful way she writes about women, lesbians and the nature of trust and love.
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DVD's
Kinda Bummed 
