Bingo: Play – Surfing is an important part of this family.
My introduction to Taylor Jenkins Read was Daisy Jones and the Six. I then went on to Carrie Soto is Back and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. All listened to in audiobook format, which were amazing. Highly recommend them. It was a happy day when I found Malibu Rising in a free little library. I needed a book to take to the beach a week ago and this seemed like the perfect candidate.
It was nice to dive back into TJR’s book world. I was introduced to Mick Riva in DJatS and he appeared briefly in SHoEH so it was interesting to get his backstory. After reading Carrie Soto’s staring story it was neat for her to have a bit part in this one. Evelyn Hugo even gets a gossip moment. Collectively this makes for a lived-in environment as people spill over from book to book in one shared universe.
I always enjoy when books are set places that I have knowledge of. When popular surfing breaks are mentioned in the book, I knew the majority of them (Torrey Pines is one of my favorite beaches!). I know the freeways, and it is with dread that I understand what the super dry and dusty Santa Ana winds are. As a resident of SoCal, it was unsettling to have the book open with a list of dates stating the many times that Malibu has burned and declaring the story would end with Malibu on fire again. This was especially chilling as we had such a devastating fire hit the region last year.
Malibu Rising is split between the past leading to the present, and in the present (1983) is a 24 hour day in the life of the Riva siblings getting ready for an annual end of August blockbuster of a party. In the present, Nina Riva, a reluctant swimsuit/surfing model, is going through the motions. Her husband has left her, and a huge guest list is expecting Nina’s annual party to be a bombastic spectacle that night. To help clear her mind she gets into the ocean and surfs. Separately her three younger siblings also start the day in the water. Jay is a championship surfer and hiding a new relationship. Hud (Hudson) is a professional photographer (rising to success photographing his brother) and is secretly in a relationship with his brother’s ex-girlfriend. Kit is the youngest, equally talented at surfing but hidden behind her siblings’ accomplishments and trying to figure out who she is. Surfing connects their tight knit unit but the secrets among them are bubbling under the surface.
In the past we learn how their father, famous singer Mick Riva, swept their mother, June, off her feet and promised a life of her dreams, once he made it big. However, once he made it big the cheating and heartbreak began. It’s a classic tale of Mick messing up, begging his way back into his wife and children’s life and then abandoning them again. It makes for a tumultuous and damaging childhood that results in injured souls when they reach adulthood.
I found the story of the Riva family interesting, and I liked the framing device of the events happening over the course of one day alternating with the past. However, I did not care for the many side stories of the party guests. I wasn’t interested in their asides which didn’t add to the overall story. While adding to the vibe of how out of control this party becomes, it pulled focus away from the Rivas and didn’t feel necessary.
This was my first time reading a TJR book that wasn’t in audio. I didn’t quite like it as much as the others and I wonder if a small part of that was due to reading it as opposed to the excellent voice casts of the other books. Would the party guests have pulled me in more if I had listened to it? Unknown. Overall, this book is 3.5 stars for me. Doesn’t quite make it to 4 stars but is a step above a 3. It will be going back in the free little library box.