Every child, regardless of age, would like to be able to depend on his/her parents. Additionally, every child should be able to receive respect, acceptance and love from his/her parents. Lillie, the courageous and defiant protagonist of Anne Marino's talented debut novel, "The Collapsible World," receives neither stablity or comfort from her parents, and her sense of spiritual abandonment permeates her life. The novel's methaphorical title, based on an 1860 globe, deftly describes Lillie's life: "my world...constantly cascades...[and] has been collapsing for some time now."

Ms. Marino depicts a family tormented by an abundance of talent and a dearth of coherence. As a child, the oldest daughter, Nina -- brilliant and possessing an off-the-chart intelligence -- was trotted around town like some prized pet by her drug-addicted anaesthesiologist father. Consequently, Nina elects to become a stripper in San Francisco's North Beach, burns with resentment and disappointment in her father and has a brittle relationship with him. As for the mother, Midge deserts her husband and two daughters after a lifetime's worth of lies and repressed frustrations. In search for some emotional nourishment, Lillie receives extraordinary validation from a wonderfully-portrayed Finch, whose interest in cartography and, more importantly, in Lillie anchors the lonely and yearning surrogate daughter to life. Another honorable charcter is Rick, a handsome cop who lovingly seeks to develop a one-night stand into a genuine relationship with Lillie. One of the central ironies of the novel is its portrait of stable relationships ouside the family circle; indeed, Lillie's most important sources of adult guidance and love come from without and not within the family.

Ms. Marino writes with a condensed, powerful style. Her characters are compelling (and that includes the utterly execrable father, Larry), and the novel never descends into cliche. Several warnings are due the reader, however. I'm always wary of families in which the children call their parents by their first names; in this respect, Larry and Midge's indifference to their children was hardly a surprise. As well, even though Lillie deals with maps all her life and has an extraordinary sense of place, I found Ms. Marino's constant specific references to San Francisco streets and addresses a bit excessive. Nevertheless, I am convinced that this is an important and timely novel, one which ought be read by an audience which has concern about the unique anguish adult children experience in the light of their parents' failures.

This debut novel, following narrator Lillie through the dissolution of her family and other crises, ends all too soon. Marino's characters are given vivid life from their physical descriptions to their mannerisms to the fantastic dialogue. As soon as you put the book down, you'll be missing intense Lillie, gentle Finch, and even drug-addled Larry. The portrayal of San Francisco, as well, is admirable. Metaphors and similies with a near-poetic freshness & originality keep coming one after the other, making the prose as delightful as the story it's telling. Marino's not afraid of strong emotions; Lillie's rage at her father, her despair over her losses, and her sexual hunger for Rick the cop are all examined closely, drawing the reader excitingly close to this young woman with so much inside her. The supporting cast, as well, is lovingly created, from kindly map store owner Finch to the bartenders and strippers Lillie and her sister Nina encounter every day. This book cannot be read subjectively. Pick it up, and you're going to spend some time in San Francisco with a girl named Lillie. You'll be very glad you did. Highly recommended.

What's at hand here are the dynamics of community--within a family, a neighborhood, and a city--and how they impact the life choices one makes. Marino's story takes us through the personal inventory of a defiant young woman, Lillie, as she is forced to confront a life that has not lived up to its promise or expectation. Forthright with her attitude and sexuality, we come to see these character traits of Lillie's as hardscrabble coping mechanisms developed to deal with the tangled web of dysfucntion that constricts and limits her. Marino delivers this to us with a tight prose that offers a sensuous rhythm, particularly during the passage where Lillie finds herself at the firing range with her latest guy interest (who happens to be an SF cop). As it lends Lillie's account of themes we all confront, The Collapsible World is a fulfilling read that is sure to leave a memorable impression.

Very clear and comprehensive analysis of the banking and financial system of the Republic of San Marino