We were on the road yesterday, coming home from a quick Spring break trip to Tennessee to see my folks. They’re getting older, and I have to confess that I’m worried about my mom. She watched the entire three hours of “The Bachelor” finale. Obviously my sisters and I will have to take steps if this trend continues. I’m not looking forward to that moment that every child of older parents dreads: the day we’re forced to take away the remote.

Anyway, we were somewhere southwest of Winchester, Virginia with Number One Son behind the wheel (it’s good to have another driver in the family), when I checked my mail and got the news that Kirkus Reviews had reviewed Afterparty.

Now, Kirkus has the reputation for giving reviews that are… let’s just say “tough.” So I was relieved to see they’d given it a star. (“Awarded to books of exceptional merit” according to the website, which instantly put me in mind of Boy Scout promotion ceremonies. I want a badge!)

Anyway, the review’s not online yet, but here’s an excerpt:

“This taut, brisk, gripping narrative, dazzlingly intercut with flashbacks and sidebars, oozes warmth and wit. A hugely entertaining, surprising and perhaps prophetic package that, without seeming to, raises profound questions about the human mind and the nature of perception.”

So that’s nice.