The Stylist by Cai Emmons

I just finished the newly released paperback novel, "The Stylist", by Oregon author, Cai Emmons. The unusual green cover and the empty, outdated hairdryer and red chair drew me to the book. I was expecting another "Patty Jane's House of Curl", and was pleasantly surprised by the different style and storyline of the book. The story is told from several perspectives - the first is Hayden, a young woman currently living in Hoboken, New Jersey, as a stylist in a beauty salon. After her mother died, Hayden dropped out of Harvard and disappeared from her family, only sending perioic postcards to her sisters to let them know she was still alive. We learn about her past, her loving and erratic mother and her distant and oppressive father, a writer, who disappeared for months at a time during her childhood. The next point of view is from Emory, a new stylist at the salon where Hayden has been working. Emory begins work one day and slowly we learn about her/his gender issues. She starts out as a female character and becomes more of a male as the story progresses. He and Hayden become friends after a difficult beginning. When Hayden's father sprains his ankle in Costa Rica Hayden is sent by her younger pregnant sister, to bring him home. She goes reluctantly, and brings Emory along for support. In Costa Rica, at a small resort, we get yet another perspective - that of the father. Through him we learn of his love for his deceased wife, his love for Hayden, who reminds him of his wife, and his devastation when she disappeared from his world. We also discover that the father now leads another life in Costa Rica, which everyone must learn to accept. In Costa Rica we are immersed in the culture -the humidity, the natural landscape, the local people all come alive. I loved the book and found so many different aspects fascinating - the gender issues, the family dynamics, among the father and daughters, and among the three sisters, and the concept of death in a foreign culture. I was sad to see the book end. Cai Emmons will be coming to my bookstore in mid-December and I look forward to meeting the author.