Craze’s sequel to By the Shore
is again told by the now teenage May, the levelheaded London girl coping with little brother Eden and wayward mother Lucy. When Lucy’s partner, Simon (depicted in By the Shore
as May’s biological father but not Eden’s), heads to India to buy goods for his London shop, Lucy heads to a California ashram, taking the siblings with her. There, all three’s hunger for love and approval leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. While Lucy works on her troubles with the guru, Parvati, May becomes involved with Sati, a seductive young woman whom Parvati favors. May often lacks some of the sharpness of observation and tone that makes By the Shore
so winning (particularly in the characterizations of fraud Parvati), but the scenes with Sati are frank and wonderful. (July)
