Ark

August 1, 2016
Rebecca Arkin is an ambitious, successful lawyer with just one problem: her family. Her grandfather (the eponymous Ark) is steadily draining his fortune making art that never sells; her aunt is suing the rest of the family for vague and absurd reasons; her father may or may not be embezzling money from her. With the family business failing and no one else to depend on, it's seemingly up to Rebecca to make things right and bring her family together again. Though Tepper's (Balls, 2012) second novel employs a wide cast of characters, uneven pacing and character development make it difficult to know who the protagonist isand it isn't Ark. As Tepper begins to develop Rebecca's story line, it becomes clear that the book is actually about her. The second half of the novel picks up speed as we begin to understand Rebecca's family history, motivations, and personality. It is the moments when Rebecca's interiors are exploredwithout interruption from secondary charactersthat hold the most resonance and ultimately allow the novel to come to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)