I wrote the following review of Patti Liszkay's novel for Amazon.com
An Engaging and Timely Debut Novel
Patti Liszkay’s debut novel, Equal and Opposite Reactions, is full of trouble, and as writing
instructors tell their students, “Only trouble is interesting.” The novel is a
story of blossoming love, broken love that has turned to hatred, greed, and
selflessness. And if that weren’t enough, there is a plot twist involving an
issue that has been in the news in the first months of Donald Trump’s
administration—the massive roundup and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
We see the difficult choices left for these immigrants, their families, and
supporters and the wide ripples of damage these policies are causing.
Patti Liszkay tells much of her story via dialogue and
action, with a minimum of exposition. In that way her novel is much like a
movie or play. The dialogue rings true, even when it is bilingual, in Spanish
and English. The characters are vivid, and, frankly, fun.
The novel is set primarily in working class Northeast
Philadelphia, and the author has a fine grasp of the geography as well as the
ethnic mix and voices of the area. Honestly, I was amazed at how much the
author knows—about different kinds of people and professions, about legal
issues involving immigration, and the twists and turns of the human heart
There are some minor flaws that will be corrected in future
editions—typos, and the use of backwards accent marks in the Spanish sections. Some
of the legal issues are out-of-date because of very recent Trump Administration
decisions. But overall, this is a very engaging novel, with the sweetest of
love stories. It makes you hope that Patti Liszkay continues writing fiction!
If you want to see Patti's book on Amazon.com, click here.
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