(Virago, $37)White oleander by this author is one of my favourite books and I was almost nervous to read this, her second novel, in case it was a lemon. Skinny punk Josie’s life in 1980s Los Angeles is plunged into turmoil when her boyfriend commits suicide and all she has left is booze, drugs and her late boyfriend’s mother, oeredith, who is not the friendly sort. Josie is not as heart-wrenching a character as White oleander’s Astrid, but her story is still well told.