What to Keep: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Lily wakes up with a cupcake hovering before her eyes..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Sherwood Road, Robert Altman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A wry, ironic voice narrates this sharply observed and paradoxically tender first novel, which reveals Denny Roman at three pivotal moments in her life. In Columbus, Ohio, in 1976, 12-year-old Denny essentially mothers herself, since her divorced mother, Lily, is more preoccupied with her neurological research than with the details of maternal care. Cool, remote Charles, Denny's father, is also a doctor; he adores Denny but can't show it. Denny's emotional support, then, comes from Maureen, an agoraphobe who runs a physician's answering service that has morphed into a life support for the Romans. An efficient surrogate mother, Maureen books taxis, makes hair appointments and fields calls from Denny's school, but her agoraphobia is a symptom of her own loneliness. Thus begins this smart, witty novel about good but emotionally blocked people who struggle to connect. Denny's thrill of success as the lead in her middle school play (which neither of her parents attends) impels her to pursue an acting career in Hollywood, where the novel jumps a decade later. She flies home to Columbus to help her mother, now remarried and on the eve of a prestigious career opportunity, pack-up the family home before it's sold. Denny's question—what to keep of her youthful possessions—motivates her move to New York and leads to another career change. The plot resumes a decade later as Denny's first play is about to premiere, and as Luke, the 12-year-old son of the late Maureen, shows up on her doorstep and becomes a catalyst for the next stage in Denny's life. This study in emotional dislocation, held aloft by astute psychological insights and deadpan humor, moves to a satisfying denouement about connections that run deep and can surface when people try hard and are lucky.
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From Booklist

In her smart and witty first novel, Cline homes in on three pivotal periods in the life of Denny Roman. We first see her as a seventh-grader in 1976 in Columbus, Ohio, still reeling from her parents' divorce and lashing out at the taunts of schoolmates with fearless and lacerating humor. At 27, she is a struggling actress in Hollywood come home to Columbus to pack up her childhood belongings; this process sends her into full-freak-out mode, especially when her agent tells her she must fly back for a meeting with film director Robert Altman. At 37, she is living in New York City, immersed in preparations for the off-Broadway opening of her play. Some of the constants in her life include her cerebral, perpetually distracted scientist mom, with whom she has a complicated relationship; her vulnerable, sensitive stepdad; and her prescient, deeply wise best friend, the acerbic Maureen. This is a wryly funny novel that feels completely fresh. It has an odd but effective structure; depicts offbeat, memorable characters; and offers a perceptive, nuanced take on familial relationships. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Random House; First edition. edition (April 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400061830
• ISBN-13: 978-1400061839
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #676,608 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tender First Novel by Rachel Cline, May 2, 2004

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

At first glance, it might be tempting to file WHAT TO KEEP under the category of "Chick Lit." All the familiar elements of the genre are here: the single woman finding her way in New York, her conflicts with wacky family members, her struggles for career success. But this tender first novel by Rachel Cline couldn't be farther from the typical Chick Lit confection. Instead, it's simultaneously a poignant character study and a moving meditation on the changing definitions of family.

The novel is divided into three parts, each of which focuses on a particular moment in the life of its heroine, Denny Roman. In the first part, she's twelve and about to star in her school play. Her recently separated parents, both brilliant doctors, are too distracted by their own concerns to pay much attention to Denny or to show up for her performance. Instead, Denny's only parental figure --- "the only adult to whom she was neither confounding nor overwhelming" --- is the agoraphobic Maureen, who runs a business organizing the lives of successful but clueless folks like Denny's parents.

In the novel's second section, Denny, now in her mid-twenties and a struggling actress in Los Angeles, returns home to Ohio to help her mother and stepfather prepare for their move to New York City. As Denny decides which of her childhood memorabilia to keep and which to sell at a garage sale, her failed relationship with her mother comes to a head.

The final part, set in 2000 in New York City, shows us Denny as an up-and-coming playwright. This time her parents are willing to see her play, a fairly transparent allegory of their relationship. Meanwhile, Denny has a surprise visitor --- the twelve-year-old son of Maureen, who's now deceased. As Denny works to make sense of her relationship with her own mother, she considers whether she's ready to be a mother of sorts to young Luke.

WHAT TO KEEP is an unusual novel, with characters both quirky and pathetic (sometimes at the same time). Denny is an appealing and compelling character, growing from an awkward preteen starved for attention into a complex, confident woman who found success despite her mother's emotional absence. Instead of being resentful and bitter toward her mother, Denny develops a capacity to forgive and even to erase the mistakes of the past by becoming a mother figure herself.

The theme of moving runs throughout the novel, as does the theme of acting. Denny moves from Ohio to Los Angeles to New York, ironically following the parents who have for so long moved away from her both physically and emotionally. As she does so, she constantly reinvents herself, drawing on her own acting talents and her odd family dynamics to create her art and her life. Readers should consider themselves fortunate to be able to take this journey along with her.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet First Novel, May 15, 2004

By	Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have to say right off the bat that I had really high expectations for this novel; everything I read made it sound really terrific. While the novel is good, it did not live up to my expectations, but I would still recommend it. The story concerns Denny Roman at three points in her life. We meet her at age twelve, where much of the focus in the narrative is on what happens to her mother on her 41st birthday. We next meet Denny in her mid-twenties, as she returns to her native Ohio to sort through her things before her mother moves to New York City. The final section of the novel takes place during Denny's mid-thirties, where she faces what could be a life-altering decision to assume responsibility for the son of a dear friend, Maureen. The writing in What to Keep is excellent, but the novel lacks, I don't know, that little extra oomph for a five-star rating. That being said, this novel is much, much better than most (if not all) chick lit, which apparently this novel is being marketed as.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, August 31, 2004

By	Michael Dinovi "Mike DiNovi" (Baltimore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great first novel. Although the story spans 3 acts, over 25 years, I was instantly drawn into the characters and became a member of the extended, but surely disfunctional family. Rachel Cline has made her characters grow throughout the story; it was a pleasure to go with them.

Brava.