Songs Without Words

July 23, 2007
Packer follows her well-received first novel, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier
, with a richly nuanced meditation on the place of friendship in women’s lives. Liz and Sarabeth’s childhood friendship deepened following Sarabeth’s mother’s suicide when the girls were 16; now the two women are in their 40s and living in the Bay Area. Responsible mother-of-two Liz has come to see eccentric, bohemian Sarabeth, with her tendency to enter into inappropriate relationships with men, as more like another child than as a sister or mutually supportive friend. When Liz’s teenage daughter, Lauren, perpetuates a crisis, Liz doubts her parenting abilities; Sarabeth is plunged into uncomfortable memories; and the hidden fragilities of what seemed a steadfast relationship come to the fore. Packer adroitly navigates Lauren’s teen despair, Sarabeth’s lonely longings and Liz’s feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Although Liz’s husband, Brody, and other men in the book are less than compelling, Packer gets deep into the perspectives of Liz, Sarabeth and Lauren, and follows out their conflicts with an unsentimental sympathy.

September 1, 2007
In her second novel, Packer sticks with the themes of kinship and loss that helped "The Dive from Clausen's Pier" become a best seller. Here, full-time mom Liz enjoys life in northern California with Brody, her reliable if staid husband, and their children. Sometimes Liz must counsel and console Sarabeth, her flighty best friend, but overall things are good. Neither is prepared for the shock when Liz's teenage daughter Lauren tries to kill herself after a carefully hidden depression overwhelms her. Craving support from her childhood pal, Liz is stunned when Sarabeth stays away, numbed by recollections of her mother's suicide, and their long friendship seems doomed. The family's despair and gradual moves toward coping unfold in precise, graceful language that creates a contemporary setting with plenty of references to current fads and fashions. Individual characters, particularly most of the adults, are less vividly realized, though the author has a knack for capturing the inner lives of adolescents, making Lauren's sections memorable and poignant. Recommended for most collections of popular fiction. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/1/07.Starr E. Smith, Fairfax Cty. PL, VA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2007
Packer waswidely praisedfor her debut, the best-sellingDive from Clausens Pier (2002).Her sophomore effort is slow-moving but ambitious and relates the lifelong friendship of Liz and Sarabeth. Whenher mom committed suicide 30 years ago, Sarabeth moved in with Liz, finding a safe haven withLizs warm and nurturing family. But now its Liz who is in need of comfort, following the suicide attempt of her depressed 15-year-old daughter, Lauren. For Sarabeth, however, the traumatic incident triggers old memories and distant music, familiar and sad. A song without words. She doesnt call or visit for days afterward, and Liz feels shut out and let down. All of their dissimilarities emerge: Liz isthe staid stay-at-home suburban mom, while Sarabeth is the artsy, single urbanite. Meanwhile, Lizs husband, Brody, and son, Joe, deal with Laurens illness in totally different ways, leading to a rift in the marriage and the family. Packer is most interested in the emotional arc of a troubled friendship and the debilitating nature of depression. As a result, her plotlacks momentum, with many paragraphs devoted to the more mundane aspects of life, right down to the number of abdominal reps Liz does in her Pilates class. Still, the friends ultimate reconciliation and Laurensemotional breakthroughprovidesome touching scenes and a welcomeresolution. Although its not on a par with herdebut, this flawed but sensitive novelshould appealto fansofSue Miller and Alice Sebold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)