A review by saamunds
Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

4.0

Lena is a med-school dropout returning from Umbria, Italy where she was working with her horticulturist aunt to Boston to help out her family. Her father recently lost his job and is disabled so they need an income from her to keep them afloat. She applies for a doctor's assisstant position with the Verdeau family, an uber rich Boston family and despite feeling that she bombed the interview, gets the job. Things get screwy quickly as the doctor is working for the family exclusively, mainly for the eldest son Jonathan who as a mystery, never explained illness. As the story unfolds, Lena gets more involved with the family, does some questionable things and the entire thing comes collapsing down. I have to say I wasn't expecting the book to turn out the way it did, but it was an amazing finish. Mayquist spends just enough time unspooling the story so you feel a lot like Lena uncovering the secrets of the bizarre Verdeau family and their doctor. The ending doesn't disappoint and ties everything up nicely while not flinching from the fact that sometimes people are just awful and do awful things.