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Most Californians are wary with their everyday existence hoping that they never have to experience another earthquake again. Unfortunately in Jesse Kellerman's debut novel that is exactly what happens, and for Gloria Mendez her boring life is about to undergo a transformation. She decides to go to work, even though it is early in the morning and a minor earthquake has just hit, to see if she can save some of her boss's figurines from any damage. This 36-year-old divorcee has a crush on her much older boss, Carl Perreira, even though it is unrequited. Still, it never hurts to be nice and she likes doing small things for him always hoping and wishing for something. Her boss is currently in Mexico on one of his annual trips where he does not share with others what he is doing. He leaves an unusual voicemail message for Gloria that has left her uneasy, fearing that her boss is in danger. Unfortunately she does not know where he is or how to go about doing something, but she fears the worst. She goes off to an adventure she never thought she would take. It is something that gives Gloria some meaning and she has the time to do something about it. She learns things about her boss that she never expected and faces some surprises as well. It could be a start of a new life for Gloria, but only if she manages to figure out what's going on. Jesse Kellerman comes from a strong writing background (son of Jonathan and Faye) and it shows, although when it comes to his first novel, his style is all of his own. SUNSTROKE is a terrific character-driven novel as Gloria tries to find out what happened to her boss. Kellerman manages to do it fairly well without going too much over the top. This is the type of book one would expect to read as a first-person narration from the lead character but that is not the way it is portrayed here. It might have made the reading a bit richer, but there is no harm, no foul here. Kellerman puts his character into some impossible situations dealing with some Mexican police officers who may or may not be corrupt and creates a lively atmosphere that seems almost true to life. It wasn't hard to picture one's self inside some of the settings from this book. The main weakness of this work comes from the protagonist's actions near the book's climax. Some of the things Gloria did didn't sit true to me as a reader, yet I enjoyed this book. It is my belief that characters make the book and not situations. Kellerman is off to a good start. I look forward to whatever his future is bound to bring. SUNSTROKE was a pleasant surprise to read.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, May 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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