Treat

Angie Vicars
Harrington Park Press
1560232145

A blonde, blue eyed, wealthy sorority girl, engaged to a classmate and future attorney, Gertrude MacKenzie is the picture-perfect, blue-blood Virginia daughter. Her life is laid out before her: finish her B.S., get married, go on to get her MBA, have children with Richard, and be wife and mother to the next generation of a picture-perfect family. Yet for years Gerd, as she's known, has harbored a secret. She is attracted to women. Her feelings for women have never seemed important enough to defy the assumed structure and security of her life. Then she met Max.

Tall and striking with dark hair and green eyes, Maxine Ivers is a talented theater major who sings, writes her own songs, and acts. Max has plans to go to Yale School of Drama for a Masters. Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Max knows what it's like to grow up in a conservative, "company town" community and to struggle for her identity. Aware of being lesbian since she was in sixth grade, the self-confident and popular Max has dated several women during her college years, but her feelings for Gerd are different.

These two young women face several obstacles on their way to one another. Gerd has to begin the process of recreating her life as a lesbian, including an unexpected and early outing to parents, to be with Max. While Max must consider whether her feelings for Gerd mean more than her earlier relationships. These obstacles are both typical and traumatic. Can the possibility of their love withstand the strain?

The setting of Knoxville, especially the area around the University of Tennessee campus, will particularly appeal to alumnae and residents of the area. Vicars captures the beauty of the Smokies and hints at some of the charms and trials of "community" life in a small college city in the Southern Appalachias. The lead characters are bright and charming, yet well-rounded with their insecurities and fears. This reader could hear the slight lilt in characters' dialog, but is unsure if readers not familiar with the region would appreciate some of those nuances. The novel might have benefited from more development of the regional character.

Overall, however, Treat, as a story of coming out and first love is a charming debut novel for Vicars. Hopefully, it will not be her last. In the meanwhile, find yourself a front porch swing and "Treat" yourself to read this novel some summer Sunday afternoon.

-MJ Lowe