Book Reviews: Henny on the Couch

Author: Rebecca Land Soodak

This debut novel strives diligently to convey the tale of a mother with a past and a 7 year old with dyslexia, and ADD.  While the characters endear and the plot proves solid, Henny on the Couch carries a tint of “therapy-think” that sullies the spontaneity of the novel.  The novel offered easy resolutions of painful situations, and that resolved too easily, floating above the intricacies of complex emotional situations.  A good first novel with a good plot that fell flat for me in some cases.

Kara Caine Lawson has overcome her fatherless childhood with a negligent and alcoholic mother.  A budding artist, Kara’s first love in college, Oliver Bestwell, is now uber famous and Kara still thinks longingly of Oliver, although Oliver was insensitive and callous to Kara at the time.  Now married to a good man, Michael, Kara has three young children, Max, Henny and Adam.  She is co-owner of Little Scissors, an upscale salon that caters to cutting children’s’ hair with her best friend Willa.

Michael is a partner in a rising architectural firm, and he cannot give Kara the help that she needs.  Babysitter after babysitter leaves as Kara’s insecurities cause her to doubt her abilities as a mother, wife and businesswoman.  And she has not painted since Oliver left.

When Kara realizes that seven year old Henny cannot read, Michael and Kara discover that Henny has dyslexia.  Simultaneously, Michael and his partner Garrett want to move to LA from NYC to secure a huge client who will open the Asian market to the firm and guarantee the firm’s success.  Suddenly Kara realizes that her choices are dim: her salon, the children, and her home are being threatened.  In her inability to focus and make decisions, Kara falls upon a gallery near to Little Scissors that carries Oliver’s now famous abstractions.  Willa wants to move to a better location and push the salon to new heights, and Kara can do nothing but think about Oliver and what might have been.  When she runs into Oliver and receives an invitation to lunch, Kara has to make some decisions.

Sometimes tender, sometimes thoughtful, the novel explores how mothers and the past affect their daughters.  A very good read that might have been a great read with a little more depth.  Still, a great effort for a debut novel, with characters that are real and present.  As Kara grows up, and reaches for compromises in her life, she and Henny resonate in our hearts.

Henny on the Couch is available via Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.


Ratings are based on a 5-star scale

Overall:   3.5

Review by Broad “A” – Ava 

We received a copy of this title for our book review. All opinions are our own.