Relative Identity by Holly Patrone

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Date of Publication: January 15^th, 2013

Memorable Quotation: “It was Saturday night and people were jammed so closely that it would take a crowbar and a vat of petroleum jelly to navigate the crowd, and from the looks of it, half of them would have enjoyed the combo way too much.” (pg. 63)

Lasting Impression: Great humor, good characters, but sometimes a little corny, Relative Identity is an easy, enjoyable read for anyone who can relate with the curveballs life throws at the most inconvenient of moments!

Storyline: A-

Pace: B+

Characters: A+

Ending: B-

Overall: A-

When a spouse passes away, it is always hard for the survivor to live everyday to the fullest without thinking about their late significant other.  However, what if they never really left, and were always watching, for better or for worse?  That is the conundrum that April Serao faces everyday as she deals with her deceased husband Sal, now an angel after dying from a vigorous round of birthday sex six years ago. 

Not spiteful in the least, Sal watches over April, which is sweet and all but since she is the only one who can see him when he visits her, most would think she worries that her new boyfriend, Jack, and her three sons consider her crazy for talking to herself.  Things get a bit crazier, though, when April is told that her deceased husband’s identity has been stolen and only through numerous haphazard events and humorous occurrences does April find the culprit behind the theft and the real reason why Sal continues to watch over her.

The pace of the novel is nice and easy, so much so that you feel like April is one of your friends, telling you a crazy story.  The other characters are also relatable, each having their own quirk and identity to set them apart from everyone.  What I loved most about Relative Identity was the way you could really engross yourself into the Serao’s family life and relate to them as if they were your own.

Although I loved the storyline and the characters, I had two problems with the other aspects of the novel.  First, the dialogue does not always flow naturally and second, the ending is not the big bang the characters try to make it out to be.  Instead, the ending seemed forced compared to the easy flow most of the novel held.

This is a nice novel, overall; there are no deep topics to sit and contemplate, no confusing plot twists, but its simplicity is what gives it such depth.  Although some parts are overly-exaggerated for stock value, Relative Identity is a fun novel based around humor and how family should always stick together, especially in the strange, amusing circumstances the Serao family faces.

~Shelly-Beans