Amy P. Knight

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Part historical novel, part noirish thriller, part coming of age story. I imagine Anna Kerrigan will stay with me, with her work as a diver at the naval yard, and perhaps I’ll also remember her profoundly disabled sister, Lydia. There were a lot of interesting pieces here, but for me, ultimately, they didn’t quite hang together tightly enough. One character appeared and disappeared too conveniently. The details in the research were at times laid on a bit too thick. Still, it was well written and on the whole interesting and enjoyable.