Book Review: Liquid, Fragile, Perishable by Carolyn Kuebler

Rating: 3.75

Told through alternating perspectives of several residents in a series of interconnected fragments, Liquid, Fragile, Perishable by Carolyn Kuebler is a quiet, slower-paced, character-driven novel that paints a compelling portrait of life in a small England town.

The story begins in the summer that the Calper family moves to Glenville from New York. Willoughby “Will” Calper, set to attend college after the summer is over, falls in love with Honey Mitchell, the teenage daughter of a family of beekeepers. Honey is homeschooled, her family old-school, and their involvement, which they hide from their respective families, is only one of a series of events that send a ripple through the close-knit community.

The narrative takes us into the hearts and minds of the residents over the course of year, not just Honey and Will and their families but also Honey’s friends, older and younger residents of the community, families that form the backbone of the community and those deemed as disruptive. As the narrative progresses, we get to know more about the characters- their individual struggles, regrets and tragedies, disparities and conflicts within the community, love and friendships and the ties that bind the community together.

The writing is beautiful yet sparse, often adopting a matter-of-fact tone, with no excesses. I loved the setting, but though the cast of characters was well thought out, I was a tad disappointed with character development. There are several characters we meet in the course of this novel, and while the trajectories of a few of the characters do provide a sense of closure, the same can’t be said for the rest. Perhaps fewer characters sharing the narrative would have allowed us to get to know them better. Though a few of the threads in the narrative ended abruptly, I did enjoy the story overall.

I read an ARC of the novel and I am unaware whether there are any structural changes to the novel in the finished copy. Each segment begins without telling us whose perspective is being presented until we start reading, which took some time to get accustomed to, and the abrupt transitions did detract from the overall reading experience.

Overall, this is a beautifully written novel with a captivating setting and interesting characters that I did enjoy, just maybe not as much as I had hoped. However, I would be eager to read more from this author in the future.

Many thanks to Melville House Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.