I picked this up because I collect Palos Verdes memorabelia. Where I was engrossed in the read, I found the timeline fuzzy. I was there in the mid 60's - the early 80's and the author never pinpointed when the story took place, only leaving vague suggestions. Not that that's a huge issue, just that Marineland closed and in the book it was open and her characters were using slang from the 80s - long after Marineland had closed.
Aside from that kind of detail, I enjoyed being in Palos Verdes again. I lived there when the fires broke out, during red tides, and a variety of other community experiences, so revisiting was cool.
At its core, this is a story of neglect. How a family disitegrates. What happens when people are neglected and they choose to do things that ultimately kill them or their relationships. It's a downer.
But I read it from cover to cover.
I know nothing of surfing and that thread of the story was interesting. I'd never, in all my years of school, seen girls be the mean they were to Medina - and that was 30 years ago....so, I had a problem with that.
I also thought her portrayal of the people in PV was a little over the top. Not ALL PV folks can be nicely swept into her bias of rich snobs.
I felt for the family, the choices, the decay, the death of their unit. Sad.
I hope for more literature with Palos Verdes as a character that is positive and beautiful, like the place.