Absent fathers, family secrets and stardom in Los Angeles.

Genre: Fiction / family drama

Pages: 365

Original Language: English

First published: 2021

Start date: 22nd February 2025

End date: 3rd March 2025

The plot: Set over one day in Malibu, California (with frequent flashbacks to the past), every year the Riva siblings throw the party to end all parties. Tonight, the cream of L.A’s elite – actors, singers, agents, and artists – will descend on the home of Nina Riva, eldest sibling and world famous model. Nina and her three siblings are the children of internationally famous singer Mick Riva, abandoned by their father at a young age. All have risen from the ashes of his abandonment by building successful careers for themselves.

In 24 hours time, the Riva mansion will have burnt to the ground. As family secrets emerge, memories are relived and choices are made, we will discover how and why the fire began….

What did I think of this book?

I joined the cult of Taylor Jenkins Reid during the pandemic, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Her novels resonate with readers because they’re a good blend of lightness combined with something a bit deeper. The surface may seem shiny, but underneath there are secrets, hidden depths and just a hint of grime.

Sometimes our palette craves a soothing cup of tea, and other times we want a fizzy pink cocktail (or a mocktail in my case). This book is the equivalent of the latter. It’s fast paced, juicy and full of salacious details. My only complaint was that there were a few too many pointless characters for my liking (did we really need to hear about all the hangers on at the long drawn out party – which forms the second half of the book – only to barely hear from them again?).

What was most interesting?

I loved discovering that all the Taylor Jenkins Reid novels are set in the same universe, which was a clever touch by the author. Eagle eyed readers will spot references to Celia St. James from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Carrie Soto from Carrie Soto is Back. The latter is a character, albeit a minor one with a key part to play in the novel’s conclusion.

I expected the glamorous setting and the plot to yield really unlikeable characters, so I was surprised at how relatable they were. The world class surfer who discovers that they have a heart condition which will shortly end their career ; the put upon older sister who has sacrificed her education for her siblings, missing out on much of her life in the process, the daughter who follows her mother’s path by entering into an ill-advised marriage with a charming but ruthless man, the younger sibling struggling with her identity. The children struggling with the loss of not just one parent, but two. A family struggling to survive alone. Take the action out of LA, change the sibling’s career trajectories, and this could be a family drama set anywhere in the world – its themes are universal.

The ending of Malibu Rising is a bit of an anti-climax (spoiler alert: the fire is started with a simple cigarette, thrown into the bushes when not fully extinguished). However, it mirrors the book’s themes of sabotage (both to ourselves and others), and that of a father who metaphorically burns his way through life, unwittingly destroying everything in his path.

What am I going to take away from this book?

That I am very glad my own father is nothing like Mick Riva! A talented, charming but ultimately weak-willed man, he gets through six wives, marries his children’s mother twice before leaving her for one of his backing singers, and only reconnects with his children after realizing that, reaching the end of his life, he is now entirely alone.

The title of this novel symbolizes not only a family rising from the ashes of abandonment and betrayal, but the rise and fall of a career, the fragile nature of stardom and the unpredictable fire of our emotions.

It’s an enjoyable read, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to!