A saga spanning five decades, I’ll Be Seeing You, explores one woman’s life, with and without alcohol to numb the pain.
Young Lauren knows she doesn’t want to be a ranch wife in Palo Pinto County, Texas. After she’s discovered by a modeling scout at the 1940 Fort Worth Stock Show Parade, she moves to Manhattan to begin her glamourous career. A setback ends her dream, and she drifts into alcohol dependence and promiscuity. By twenty-four, she’s been widowed and divorced, and has developed a pattern of fleeing her problems with geographical cures. Lauren’s last escape lands her in Austin, where, after ten chaotic years, she achieves lasting sobriety and starts a successful business, but happiness eludes her.
Fast forward to 1985. With a history of burning bridges and never looking back, Lauren is stunned when Brett, her third husband, resurfaces, wanting to reconcile after thirty-three years. The losses and regrets of the past engulf her, and she seeks the counsel of Jane, a long-time friend from AA. In the end, the choice is Lauren’s. What will she decide?
Readers will quickly fall in love with the charismatic Lauren, a compelling mix of innocence and pizzazz, who parties too much and falls too hard for the wrong men in the big city. As she’s caught up in the world of male callers, nightclubs, and fashion, Lauren’s unpolished exterior melts away, and a grown-up version, embodied with style and finesse, materializes. Her lifestyle eventually rivals that of her extravagant aunt, but the glamour comes with a cost, and soon Lauren spirals into alcoholism and self-destructive encounters with men, culminating in an unwed pregnancy and more than one marriage—scandals in the 1940s. Lauren eventually emerges resilient, but her evolution is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring.
Throughout Lauren’s high-flying moments, Black housekeeper Vandine and gay friend Harold are loyal constants, offsetting her painful experiences with loving kindness and adding refreshing diversity to Easley’s storyline, while tackling crucial issues of equality in the mid-20th century. Easley manages to evoke both the glitzy nightlife of the ‘40s and the passion of an ever-evolving blues scene, and fans of her earlier novel, Sweet Jane, will be pleased to recognize some continued characters.
Takeaway: Historical fiction fans craving glamour and depth will relish this mid-20th century read.
Great for fans of: Camille Di Maio’s Until We Meet; Fiona Davis’s The Dollhouse.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Joanne Kukanza Easley cultivates an air of self-discovery in Lauren's life, tackling hard questions and equally challenging courses of action as she appears to come full circle, then moves away from new choices that would change her life. Libraries looking for powerful stories of alcoholism, recovery, and revised destinies will find the powerful protagonist's realistic life experiences make I'll Be Seeing You a winning example of past influences and future possibilities in love and life.
Joanne Kukanza Easley created a strong character in Lauren who had to learn her self-worth the hard way. I'll Be Seeing You is a well-written, worthwhile read and would make a great Hallmark movie.
The Medina Community Library will host Joanne Kukanza Easley on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 10 a.m. She will speak about her third novel, I'll Be Seeing You, as well as her journey from traditional publishing to self-publishing.
