cover image Keeping Time

Keeping Time

Stacey McGlynn, Crown, $24 (288p) ISBN 978-0-307-46440-8

When 77-year-old Liverpool widow Daisy Phillips, ostensibly the narrative crux of this deeply botched debut, comes across a watch given to her by an old flame, she goes to the United States to track him down. There, the focus shifts to Daisy's American relatives, particularly the family of Elizabeth, her cousin Ann's daughter. Elisabeth is miserable in her job and convinced that her husband is "Dart Man," a bicyclist who shoots women in their butts with darts. Her son, Michael, meanwhile, is deep in the throes of teen angst. No matter, though: Michael's growing pains are assuaged by his interest in Daisy, and Elisabeth's Dart Man obsession awakens her to her own happiness. Eventually, the characters recall Daisy's purpose in visiting, leading to a lazy, coincidental resolution. Though sloppily executed and inconsistently plotted, McGlynn's use of participles, with superfluous lines like "Dennis nodding" appearing multiple times on every page, is what's most deadening. McGlynn's ear for dialogue can be pleasing (she has a film M.F.A.) but the monotonous style and wandering story line kill any potential.(Oct.)