Tuesday Night Miracles: A Novel
Kit, Jane, and Grace are angry. Each woman succumbs to violence (Kit with a broken wine bottle, Jane with a stiletto, while Grace trashes her teenage daughter’s boyfriend’s car), and they are sent to an anger-management class led by Dr. Olivia Bayer, a clog-wearing hippie. Olivia’s impending retirement emboldens her to try nontraditional therapies, such as going hiking and adding Leah, a single mother living in a shelter with her two young children, to the group. Each of the four women fights introspection, holding on to the comfort of her anger. Of course, Olivia, with her aging cocker spaniel, Phyllis, shows them another way. For such an intense topic, the novel’s pace is leisurely, even slow in places, and excessive hint dropping about great secrets renders the revelations a little lackluster. Most of the characters are likable, but readers will find themselves rooting for even the unlikable ones. There are scenes of humor, genuine emotion, and lots and lots of tea. Fans of Radish’s earlier fiction (Hearts on a String, 2010) will enjoy talking this over with the women in their lives. --Susan Maguire