I am fortunate that Beth, my friend and coworker, went to Book Expo America recently, because she came back with a signed advance reader's copy of Lorna Landvik's latest (and semi-autobiographical) novel, Best To Laugh! It's been a while since Lorna came out with a new novel and this one was worth waiting for. If you are familiar with Landvik's work (which means that you also love it) you know that quirkiness is her hallmark. No on does a better job of taking a group of disparate, slightly off-kilter people and making you love them.
Candy Pekkala is half Korean, one quarter Swedish, and one quarter Norwegian, so it shouldn't be surprising that comedy is her forte. Losing her mother at a young age and her distant, broken-hearted father when she was a teen, Candy forms a close bond with her paternal grandmother, a loving, supportive, and stabilizing influence in her life. After drifting through her college years in a haze of recreational drugs and casual relationships, Candy is offered the opportunity of a lifetime when her cousin sublets Candy her apartment in the heart of Hollywood for 3 months. Her decision to move from Minnesota in the late 1970's set the direction of her life and career and she pursues her dream of making people laugh.
Landvik has created a wonderful troupe of supporting characters, some of whom are based on real people in her own life. Candy's close-knit group of friends include a handsome writer/musician with a girlfriend, an elderly European clairvoyant named Madame Pepper, a disgraced Hollywood club owner, an aspiring punk rocker whose primary hair product is glue, and a female body builder overshadowed by her famous and beautiful actress mother. Best To Laugh is a testament to the power of laughter and the warmth of true friendship. I wish I were a better writer so I could express the real depth and breadth of this novel. Suffice it to say. I loved it. The official publication will be in September. Look for it!
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