September 18, 2007

We Are Family

“The Used World,” by Haven Kimmel

Families are like cars: You longed for the brand new Beamer (functional, never embarrassed to be seen with it), but you got the used Toyota instead (noisy, prone to breakdowns).

You grew to love your rusty four-door and all its quirks, however. And now? You’d never even think of trading it in.

Such is the idea behind Haven Kimmel’s (A Girl Named Zippy) latest novel, The Used World. Set in small town Indiana and named for the secondhand store in which all the main characters work, the book revolves around three very different women in various stages of their lives, but with more than a few common threads.

There’s young, ex-fanatical Christian Rebekah; super-tall lesbian Claudia; and Hazel, the psychic owner of the Used World Emporium with an intriguing past.

Kind of like a dysfunctional Steel Magnolias, The Used World is a sweet, smart, funny story about being a hippie van in a lot full of white sedans.

Something you can totally relate to.

Available at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables (305-442-4408); Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Avenue (305-864-4241); 933 Lincoln Road (305-532-3222); online at booksandbooks.com.