I'm not sure how to categorize this novel. It wasn't 'romance', not by a long shot, though there was love in it. It wasn't, 'mystery', though it had one in it, and it wasn't 'fantasy', though it had a little of that in it as well. I guess if there ever was a book to be put in the general fiction section, this is it.

It's the story of Jennifer Anderson, her family, her friends, and the little town of Delicious and its secrets. Jennifer has to go back after twenty plus years of absolutely no contact with most of the town because of her mother. But, when she gets back to town she finds out all sorts of secrets that have been hidden from she and everyone in town.

I'm not sure why, but I didn't love this book. Perhaps it was because I went in with preconceived notions of what it would be or something. And the book itself seemed off somehow, but I'm not exactly sure how.

Still, there were plenty of good things about it. The author got the New England stuff right, and not just the right verbiage, but she got the feeling of New England right as well. All the characters were very, very unique. I especially liked Auntie (an institution in Delicious) and Herlick (the Funeral Home Director and about Jennifer's age I think)

And perhaps that was the underlying problem I had with the novel, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't 'see' what age Jennifer and her contemporaries in town were. I know that there were dates, but even with those I felt unmoored when it came to where in time to place the characters. ( )

I'm fascinated when authors are able to use humor to illuminate important (and often not so funny) events. That's what Banks does in this totally delicious debut novel about going home, and revising your personal history in the process. This book made me laugh out loud, and weep, and I wish I could read it again for the first time. ( )