(Reviewed by JD Jung)
What happens when a former punk-rock singer reaches her forties, her children have left home for college, and suburban life suddenly feels like a cage? That’s where Joan finds herself in this wonderfully original and often hilarious novel about identity, conspiracy theories, and finding your way back to yourself.
Once the lead singer of Joan of the Arcane, Joan is now married to a real estate agent and living in the suburbs of Los Angeles. With an empty nest and a life that no longer feels like her own, she is desperate to break free. Then a new neighbor, Glen, moves in—and Joan becomes convinced there is something seriously wrong with him.
Her suspicions take an increasingly bizarre turn when she becomes convinced that Glen was actually a crew member aboard the space shuttle Odyssey, which supposedly exploded seconds after takeoff in 1984, killing everyone on board. If Glen survived, then what really happened, and what is he and the government hiding?
Joan’s husband isn’t buying any of it, so she turns to Selena, a new friend who is willing to entertain her theories. Together, they devise increasingly outrageous schemes to uncover the truth. Along the way, Joan summons goddesses, ancestors, herbs, and a little “magic” to help with what she sees as her heavenly assignment.
I loved how unpredictable and engaging the story is. Beneath the conspiracy theories and outrageous antics is something surprisingly relatable: a woman questioning the life she has built and trying to find her true self. Also, the reader keeps wondering if she and Selena are correct in their assumptions, or if her husband will listen to his mother and have her temporarily committed to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. Or maybe something in between?
Funny, unconventional, and engaging, Joan of the Arcane is a refreshingly original novel about self-discovery, family dynamics, friendship, and finding the courage to breathe again.