Book Review: Opulence, Kansas
Opulence, Kansas. Julie Stielstra, Meadowlark Books, June 9, 2020, E-Book and Print, 138 pages.
Review by Barbara Belford.
When I finish a book, I try to select a word that encapsulates ending my reading experience—gratified, informed, indignant, breathless. The word I chose when I closed the book Opulence, Kansas by Julie Stielstra, after reading it in two sessions, was “hopeful.” Hopeful that, despite terrible tragedies and loss, people can recover and find joy in the world. Hopeful that there are uncles and aunts like Len and Maggie, waiting to love and restore value to teens who need them. Hopeful that the next generation will value relationships like Katie and Travis. And hopeful that self-centered, inconsiderate people can be transformed into mindful allies.
Katie, the fifteen-year-old protagonist, lives in a high rise in Chicago and attends a private school. Her parents have the pretense of a wealthy lifestyle. But after her father’s suicide, things quickly unravel. At the funeral, Katie meets her father’s estranged brother and his wife—previously unknown to her. They tell her she’s always welcome to visit them in Opulence, Kansas, and when Katie needs somewhere to recover from the trauma, she takes them up on the offer.
Opulence is more than just a place to spend the spring and summer. It’s where Katie learns how to be mindful of what matters and how to feel pride in working hard. She’s mentored by her aunt and uncle and meets Travis, a boy who’s also lost his father in a tragic accident. Together they help each other process the difficult truths about their fathers. As they grow closer, Katie discovers a secret that ties her family to Travis and, just as a typical teen would do, Katie overanalyzes the information and considers ending their friendship. While the main plot is Katie’s growth and change, a few unusual subplots weave nicely into Stielstra’s use of space and time as metaphors.
I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of Katie’s Chicago—the town she was used to—and the new town of Opulence, a culture shock to her. Seeing Kansas through Katie’s fresh eyes brought the beauty of it to life. I could relate to the difference between the two worlds, having lived my whole life in the western suburbs of Chicago, where the sky is big, until five years ago when we moved to a high rise in the city, where the buildings are big. Julie Stielstra does a wonderful job of getting the details of setting right without overdone description. Readers from rural communities will nod their heads at Stielstra’s tributes, and other readers will make Kansas a future destination.
I felt the characters were generally complex and age-level realistic, and very easy to love. This is definitely a character-driven story. Opulence, Kansas has multi-generational characters who are valued, which was refreshing and unusual for a young adult book. And though it had strong themes of doing the right thing, it didn’t have a preachy tone or feel moralistic. Although Uncle Len and Aunt Maggie were churchgoers, they clearly let Katie decide for herself without guilting her.
If you know a YA reader who needs some hope and likes a little romance with a feel-good ending, I highly recommend this book. While reading it, I kept thinking of someone I know who will love it. And isn’t that the sign of a good book? When you can’t wait to share it?