The Bunco Club: An Experience, Not Just a Book
By Karen DeWitt
Frame Masters, $15.50, 412 pages
The eight women who make up The Bunco Club play the “no-talent” dice game just once a month, but their lives are constantly intertwining. Each woman must face her own struggle; an ex-boyfriend returning, a compulsion for hoarding, deeply guarded secrets, a troubled teen, and the discovery of treasure in an old family trunk. The women in the club rely on each other, as they work together and support one another through these struggles. The Bunco Club is similar to the novel Friday Night Knitting Club, as both use themes of strong friendship, empowerment of women, and family values.
Karen De Witt’s novel, The Bunco Club is not just a book – it’s an experience. In addition to the diverse tales, DeWitt includes carefully planned discussion questions for book clubs, a collection of recipes pulled from each character, and even a few variations on the game of Bunco. Together, these extras are sure to make for a fun evening with the ladies.
One area where the book suffers is in length. Some descriptive passages are long-winded, and have seemingly unnecessary detail. The 407 page story drags periodically and would benefit from time lapse to carry from one scene to another instead of a strictly chronological order with clunky transitions.
Reviewed by Sophie Sestero
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