Review: Oh Good Now This by Susan Person

Oh Good Now This (an accurate title, btw) is a women’s literary fiction with a paranormal twist. Rating: 2.5/5

Starting over is hard enough but when ghosts decide to hitch a ride into the future – things can get complicated.

Widowed Vivi leaves California for a new start back east landing in a college town near her old friend Vikram, now the local ‘spiritual’ leader and disappointing lover. But the two have old business which leads them to uncovering the ghosts they conjured long before and the ones that are haunting them now. Vivi reclaims her life, — with the help of a couple different dimensions — saying hi tom the ghosts who choose to hang around, and growing a new grade and a new life.

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This was a really hard book for me to come up with a rating for. For as many things as I loved about Oh Good Now What, there were just as many that I didn’t like. For one, I love that the main character, Vivi, is middle-aged. I really think we need authors to allow their main characters to be older. People don’t stop living life or creating their own stories after the age of 35, and there’s no reason not to be writing stories that include women past this age as well.

I think there was a lot of potential here, it just missed the mark a bit. It started off really strong, and I was really interested to see what had happened with Vivi and her husband, and also how she was going to handle all of these big changes in her life. She just moved across the country, had a huge career change, and on top of it all her husband had just died. As soon as he popped up in her tarot reading I was SO excited to see where the story went from there. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t my vibe the rest of the book.

And on a positive, Vivi is at least somewhat relatable. I think we have all gone through some sort of tremendous loss and ended up having to completely pivot our entire world. The story as a whole was a great example of the different stages of grief we go through.

There were a LOT of questionable characters that existed around Vivi, and none of them were likable. More than that, Vivi herself became less and less likable the more she was put through. I really wish the author had explored Vivi’s struggle without there being a surrounded sense of pity, or putting her through even more. I found it a bit confusing to follow when time kept jumping around all over the place. I didn’t have a bad time reading this, but I did feel frustrated more times than not.

I do really appreciate the use of tarot, and actually wish Tara was a bigger part of the story. The author has a 5 part series explaining the use of tarot for writing, which I found really interesting.

Rating:

Excerpt:

They climb into Vikram’s old Saab. The dope has worn off but the sugar high has not. Vikram reaches into his pocket. He brings out a little statue of an Indian god and goddess. He hands it to Vivi.

“A wedding present.”

“Gosh, this guy has four arms.”

“Yes,” Vikram says. “Doesn’t she look happy?”

Vivi blushes. “Never mind,” she says.

Vikram slides his arm along the top of the seat and pulls her close. Vivi isn’t sure.

“Don’t worry. It’s freezing. We can keep each other warm.”

Viv slides closer and feels the warmth of his body. She snuggles in. He is so tall and it feels good to be smaller than, to be surrounded by.

“Jake is shorter than you,” she says. “I’m not used to being surrounded.”

“The more to keep you safer, my dear.” Vikram says with a soft smile.

“So, tell me about this. Who are these guys?” She is referring to the small statue.

“It’s the perfect wedding gift. Vishnu and Lakshmi are devoted to each other. She is the goddess of prosperity, purity and generosity. The embodiment of beauty, grace and feminine charm.”

“Just like me,” says Vivi.

“Just like you,” he echoes.

About The Author:

Susan Merson began her career as an actress on and off Broadway, in television and film. Co-founding the LA Writers Bloc in 1985 with award winning writer Jane Anderson, she has mentored writers through the Bloc and through her private and university classes in Playwriting, Life Stories, Writing as a Spiritual Practice, Tarot for Writers and the popular VOICING Series. Her short fiction has been featured in The Jew in America, Nice Jewish Girls (Penguin), The Worcester Review, the Chicken Soup series and several other online platforms.

As a playwright, her award-winning plays have been performed internationally, including her 8 solo plays featured and used as example in YOUT NAME HERE: An Actor Writers Guide to Solo Performance. (Amazon). Long form fiction available on Amazon is her award-winning blog, WHEN THEY GO AND YOU DO NOT and her first novel DREAMING IN DAYLIGHT. OH GOOD NOW THIS, her newest novel launches 12/1/21. She is a tarot reader and counselor, a maker of quilts, clothing and whimsy. Susan is a humble mother and a proud resident of New York City.

About Susan: Website | Goodreads | Facebook