Burnham leaves little doubt about how much she understands the people who populate her novel ... Still, Burnham doesn’t allow us to pity her characters for their misfortunes. These are resilient women who are determined to rescue themselves. There is no easy way out for any of them, but this tender novel allows us to rejoice when tiny windows of opportunities begin to open.
Burnham's assured narrative pulls us along, although some peculiar word choices give pause ... Yet, quibbles aside, Wait movingly tackles serious issues in one of America's premier vacation spots. It is a commendable accomplishment.
Oddly, Gilda is a far less developed or interesting character ... Elise’s conflicted relationships with mother, sister, friends, and potential lovers—Burnham also throws in some sexual moments as teasers that don’t add up to much—are more absorbing.
An expressive if diffuse narrative ... Burnham ably depicts the instability faced by taxpaying and hardworking immigrants such as Gilda, but loses her way in the gauzy summer chronicle of Elise, Sheba, and Sophie’s endless partying. This lacks the luster of Burnham’s potent debut.
