The Big Bang

October 1, 2012
Hull’s satisfying debut explores the McMansions of Melody Mountain Ranch, a planned suburb where eating disorders, lesbian affairs, and a coven of teenage witches are just a few of the outrageous secrets hiding behind the idyllic facades. Hope Jordan is obsessed with having a baby, but months of fruitless trying have taken their toll. Her new neighbor, Tim Trautman, has hired her to design a nursery, though he’s barely able to hide the fact that his interest in Hope is more than professional—and he’s not the only one. She’s also caught the eye of stay-at-home dad Will Pierce-Cohn and Frank Griffin, the local minister and homeowners’ board president. When a batch of laced brownies doses neighborhood Memorial Day picnickers, the residents’ hidden desires emerge. But the most toxic secrets of all are hidden by the Ranch itself, and when they come to light, the damage will affect the entire subdivision. Despite a slow start and some awkward one-liners, Hull deftly handles a multitude of complicated characters and brings about a conclusion that will leave readers suitably scandalized.

November 1, 2012
Beautiful Hope Jordan is an object of desire among the male population at suburban Denver's Melody Mountain Ranch. Three men in particular are less than subtle about their lust: stay-at-home dad Will Pierce-Cohn, who leaves all decisions to his gutsy politician wife; minister Frank Griffin, clearly at odds with the Tenth Commandment; and Tim Trautman, whose joyfully pregnant wife is about to burst with twins. Try as they might, Hope and her movie-star-handsome husband, Jim, have been unable to conceive a child. (He's always traveling when she's ovulating.) With Jim overseas, Hope goes solo to a community potluck, where she unknowingly indulges in hash-laced brownies and falls into the wide-open arms of one (or perhaps all three) of her aggressive admirers. As bad luck would have it, egg and sperm finally collide. But who is the father? As Hope's world falls apart, Melody Mountain Ranch's shoddily constructed homes begin to crumble beneath residents' feet. Hull's amusing debut will appeal most to readers who like their fiction with extra froth.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)