Tucker blends parody—the Trebournes own two Volvos, naturally, and Dixon’s got a stuffed grizzly in his office—with surprising suspense elements and much empathetic characterization, of the Trebourne family, of Dixon’s teenaged son, and especially of Molly Carter and Pinto Sweet, prospectors already living on a claim that Pinot expects doesn’t have enough “color” “to keep him in grub and whiskey.” Amid the calamities and confrontations, Tucker is engagingly attentive to the experience of being uprooted, to the excitement of nature and exploring and choosing a new bedroom, and to the possibilities of lives taking root, however reluctantly, in fresh soil.

Individual scenes tend to be crisp and incisive, but the novel’s quite long and not in a hurry. Wilson’s midlife crisis is familiar territory, but once the family’s relocated, playing poker together and rallying to build a new life, he grows into a compelling character rather than a comic patsy. Less compelling are Dixon and his goons; the antagonist’s grand scheme seems ridiculous from the start, though his romantic partner, Bambi, a sex-bomb naïf ("Why do you suppose evergreen trees stay green all the time?"), eventually reveals welcome dimension. The climax contains a surprise readers won’t see coming.

Takeaway: Warm comic novel about a family leaving the suburbs for a goldmine.

Comparable Titles: T.C. Boyle, Thomas Berger.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A