This Place of Wonder, Barbara O'Neal

I am a huge Barbara O'Neal fan, her writing technique resonates with me. She draws me in, locks me in place, and leaves me with all the emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, love, compassion, and empathy. Ms. O'Neal is a fabulously gifted author.

This Place of Wonder did not disappoint. I can't say I understand the title as it relates to the book, but no matter, the book is fantastic, the cover beautiful, and the title, well, maybe I'm just daft.

Set in modern-day California, This Place of Wonder follows a family of women, a mom, and two grown daughters, along with an outlier, the dad's girlfriend, after the death of Agustus, the loved by everyone, larger than life chef. The story is easy to follow as it is realistic and simple without unnecessary plot twists. But it is also complex, as is life, in the way it peels the layers away from each character until the reader sees the full picture of each person: The 16-year old runaway, the average suburban housewife, the pregnant alcoholic, and the thirty-year-old having an affair with a 67-year old.

Nothing in this novel is an overreach, and in Ms. O'Neal's lovely way of crafting a story, the reader can find their place amongst the characters and identify with one or more of them in an almost personal way to where you wonder if Ms. O'Neal had been a fly on your wall at some time.

This Place of Wonder will not solve world peace or cure any social issue, but it will make you think about family, and where people are in their lives, and how they came to be. It will stay with you, and you will become a Barbara O'Neal fan.