Reviews for The life list of Adrian Mandrick : a novel

Kirkus
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A pill-popping anesthesiologist and bird-watcher is forced to confront his past when his estranged mother dies.Adrian Mandrick seems to live a perfect life: He has a beautiful wife, Stella, two bright young children, a well-paying job, and the distinction of possessing the third-longest bird-watching "life-list" in North America. That is, he's seen more unique species of birds in North America than all but two peopleand one of them just died, so the No. 2 spot is closer than ever. But Adrian is also addicted to prescription drugs and has kept his past a secret from everyone, including Stella and his closest friends. When he was a child, his mother ran away from his father with him and his brother, and when his father found them a year later, he informed Adrian that his mother had molested him when he was too young to remember. Adrian is now estranged from both of his parents, and when his mother suddenly tries to get back in touch, he ignores her calls. But her reappearance nevertheless sends him into a downward spiral that takes him from adultery to illness to the obsessive pursuit of the supposedly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker. White, who has an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU and teaches creative writing at DePauw University, makes her debut with this frustrating novel. Adrian's cavalier disregard for his advantages in life makes it hard to sympathize with him, particularly since White's treatment of his abuse is superficial and unconvincing. Stella is also reduced to a stereotype of an unhappy wife. The medical and ornithological components of the novel are deeply researched, and Adrian's love of birds is its most compelling feature. But White hints at themes connected to his passion that are never fully explored, including climate change and Adrian's Native American heritage. Ultimately, the novel feels more like a collection of ideas than a finished product.An unsatisfying character study of a middle-aged man in crisis that fails to distinguish itself from others of its type. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Library Journal
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DEBUT At the heart of this intense, poignant debut novel is a self-destructive avid birder, who is on a quest to locate the very rare ivory-billed woodpecker. Adrian -Mandrick, an anesthesiologist, struggles to be a loving, caring husband and father, despite being long addicted to the same pain-relieving medication that he administers to patients. Obsessive in his birding pursuits, the benumbed Adrian is not only unable to cope with domestic life but is also visited by memories of his fractured, dysfunctional childhood. When a rival birder dies suddenly, Adrian seizes the opportunity to achieve the ultimate goal of his "life list" of bird species he has spotted. Nearly reaching glory, deep in the Florida swamp, our protagonist is finally confronted with his past while questioning the present. The author, an award-winning playwright and screenwriter, deftly pulls out all the stops in this swift and disturbing, dramatic look at confronting fear and personal failures. VERDICT This engaging, unusual novel successfully combines the best elements of a psychological portrait, a travel adventure, and a suspenseful mystery.-Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
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A drug-addicted anesthesiologist attempts to avoid his problems by chasing rare birds in White's somber debut. The title character, struggling with the self-perceived stigma of being only the third-best birder in North America, regularly abandons his patients and family to take off by car or plane in search of birds that have inevitably departed by the time he arrives. On one trip, he and a birder friend drive for more than an hour before realizing that they have left Adrian's wife, Stella, at a rest stop; on another, he cheats on Stella. When Adrian gets an email from a birder who claims to have seen a bird thought to be extinct deep in the swamps of Florida, he heads into the heart of darkness, and runs smack into his past. While White makes Adrian a complex and oddly appealing character, the other characters in the book, including his wife and kids, are shadowy figures. Too many of the incidents strain credulity, which might be easier to forgive in a more comic novel, but here they test the reader's patience in a story bent on exploring the roots of Adrian's psychological problems. Readers will wish for more birds and less brooding. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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