Olivie Blake is one of those authors that I like, but recognize the flaws in her writing enough that I rarely recommend her work (so, only if I know more about the personality and preferences of the person I would be recommending it to). She tends to write books where the plot goes completely off the rails, but something about her writing style really vibes with me. Her characters are frequently unlikeable but have realistic flaws (somewhat uncomfortably, ones that are relatable enough to me) and their interactions are well-developed. I recently picked up her latest novel, Gifted & Talented, which was released a few weeks ago.
When the CEO of a slightly magical (it’s sort of vaguely explained as kind of an enhanced version of electricity) corporation and father of three dies unexpectedly, his children gather together to deal with his death (and find out who he left the shares in the company to). Meredith, the eldest, is a motivated asshole who works for a competitor. Arthur, the middle child, is a failing congressman with a host of relationship issues (he has a wife, a boyfriend, and a girlfriend, and is basically the definition of “needy love sponge”). Eilidh (which I think is pronounced something close to “Haley”, or that’s at least how I was saying it in my head), the youngest, was a ballerina until she was injured, is her father’s favourite, and also maybe keeps accidentally causing biblical apocalypses. Told over the period of a week, it’s mainly a study in these characters dealing with their issues, past and present, with themselves and with each other.
This doesn’t really break the mold of Olivie Blake’s books for me—I liked it, but I wouldn’t really do a blanket recommendation. What I did related to the most, and which would probably be an indicator of whether or not you would like it, is the exploration of the characters living up to their potentials. All of them are smart, talented individuals, but the pressure put on them to succeed (both self-inflicted and not) is the driving force of the novel.