Complicated, compelling ... Reminds us that humility opens us to the possibility of awe. And as Bea loosens her grip on the story she has always told herself about her mother, she and Christy begin to see each other anew.
Boland is a good-natured writer, but it’s hard to feel positively about a novel that promises a literal treasure hunt and delivers a metaphoric one, in which the real treasure is the friends the women make along the way.
Wry, rollicking ... A madcap mother-daughter adventure about two women on the hunt for buried treasure deep in the American West — and what they uncover instead ... Though occasionally bogged down by long passages about everything from commodities trading to Bea’s seemingly perfect college roommate’s eating disorder that interrupt the book’s flow, Boland’s lighthearted, often amusing depiction of the Thelma-and-Louise-style quest is full of what one might expect from such a setup. There are run-ins with squirrelly characters, dunderheaded mishaps — including a desert hike without sunscreen, enough water or map skills — and true-to-life tension blowups between a woo-woo mother and responsible daughter pair that threaten to derail the entire undertaking. Do Bea and Christy find the bounty? The reveal is, perhaps, beside the point. What carries the novel past the finish line is Boland’s clear sense of complicated, often contradictory family dynamics and how sometimes true love, support and understanding — in other words, life’s real treasures — can be found where and when you least expect it.
Jaunty ... Boland clearly has a deep knowledge of this otherworldly, often dangerous landscape, and she’s come up with a fresh and unexpectedly sweet take on the theme of strained but salvageable mother-daughter bonds.
Some novels throw you right in. Scavengers by Kathleen Boland is one of those ... Though the narrative at times feels a bit disjointed, Scavengers has at its heart the compelling and timeless idea of the quest—for treasure, truth, material goods, comfort, enlightenment ... Boland skillfully conjures a gnawing sense of desperation that laps at so many classes and communities, in this vast and varied land of ours, from Manhattan to the still wild Southwest. The specters of eviction and joblessness, the perils and thrills of the internet, and the loneliness that pushes us to seek connection wherever it may be found drive this novel in unexpected directions, taking the reader along on the quintessential human quest of longing for something—home, safety, fulfillment, love—that may ultimately always remain out of reach.
A slow-to-start book eventually results in rich, vivid characters. Gasps of gorgeous prose are weighed down by occasionally plodding plot points. Like panning for gold; there are moments that gleam with brilliance
Rollicking ... Boland blends genuine thrills with an affecting story of a mother and daughter’s restored relationship, and the narrative builds to a surprise ending. Readers will be delighted.
