Kara Was Here

Kara Was Here by William Conescu, 302 pages

Kara Tinsley is dead. Let's not beat around the bush about that. The book opens with her ex-boyfriend Brad driving to her funeral, having left his pregnant wife at home. We also have Margot, Kara's longtime friend, who has moved away from the fast-paced life of her 20s to become a baker with golden delivery van and a long-distance boyfriend. And then there's Gwen, Kara's artsy little sister who has just graduated from high school and looks just like Kara did 15 years earlier. Kara Was Here observes these three as they deal with Kara's death, and the other issues they have going on in their life.

Confession: I picked this book up solely because my name was in the title. Let's face it, there aren't many Karas in books, at least not that I've read. I'm pleased to report that this Kara is absolutely nothing like me (druggie alcoholic wannabe actress moving from one friend's couch to another; also, dead, from an overdose). And while she's dead, she certainly plays a central role in this book, as Brad, Margot, and Gwen try to figure out what Kara may have been thinking and experiencing in her last days. The plot moved a bit slowly for me at times, but I think Conescu put together a good examination of grief and how it manifests in ways that we don't expect. This won't be at the top of my list of books to recommend, but it wasn't bad.