Though somewhat lengthy, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the interesting, complicated tale of the four Riva siblings, their claim to fame, and their annual end of summer party. We are first introduced to their father, Mick Riva in Reid’s previous novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as the careless rockstar who is married to movie star Evelyn Hugo for a single night. In Malibu Rising, Reid elaborates on his background and his story, but the book is not about him, it’s about his children.
The book opens in the early 1980s and we are introduced to the four main characters: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit Riva. We’re also told where they currently are and their excitement (or lack of) for the end-of-summer party they throw every year.
Nina, the oldest of the four, has recently been in the headlines for her messy, public split from her pro-tennis player husband. Jay, the pro-surfer, has discovered he will no longer be able to surf but is ignoring the fact and instead hoping that the girl he likes will show up to the party. Hud is figuring out how to tell his brother (and best friend) the secret he’s been keeping that may change their relationship forever. And Kit, the youngest, is still holding out that the guest she secretly invited to the no-invites party will show up, even after 5 years of not responding. In addition to their individual problems, it is revealed at the beginning that the Riva’s house will be burnt down by the time the party comes to an end.
This book was slightly difficult to navigate due to the time jumps and abundance of characters. The main story takes place over the course of a single day — the day of the party. In order to provide background information for the siblings, Reid includes flashbacks intertwined with the current day. Here, we meet their parents, explore their relationship from the beginning to end, and the complexities, issues, and dysfunction within the Riva family.
The flashbacks seem to end almost abruptly as we are caught up to all the events leading up to the present day between halfway and three quarters of the way in. Once we know the full backstory leading up to the present day, the guests are starting to arrive at the party and readers are introduced to another handful of characters that seem to have no correlation to the Rivas, other than the fact that they are attending the party.
Apart from a select few, the majority of the party’s attendees do not end up having a connection or even really interacting with the siblings, so despite the creation of a chaotic environment, those details and characters seemed a bit more like filler than necessary detail. While all this is happening, we still have the mysterious fire in the backs of our minds, wondering what will cause it with all this chaos. The reveal of what causes the fire is utterly shocking and unexpected, but there is a bit of a lack in detail when it comes to how the siblings deal with and react to this tragedy.
Malibu Rising is definitely worth the read, as it contains many unpredictable twists and turns as well as deceptions as to why certain things are happening. There were some parts that were underdeveloped and some that were overdeveloped, but for the most part, the story flowed well, making the book an enjoyable read.
