{"id":3500,"date":"2016-08-04T00:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T22:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=3500"},"modified":"2023-06-14T15:25:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T13:25:26","slug":"barring-complications-rippon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/barring-complications-rippon\/","title":{"rendered":"Barring Complications by Blythe Rippon: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Baring<\/a>Barring Complications by Blythe Rippon<\/strong> is not the kind of book I\u2019m usually drawn to. Boy, I\u2019ve been saying that a lot lately. I\u2019m starting to worry my reputation as a read-only-SF kind of girl is in jeopardy. And yet, there are always stories that get my attention and I find myself, once again, making an exception. Barring Complications is one of those books, and one for which I\u2019m glad I took the detour.<\/p>\n

The story imagines the gay marriage debate in the Supreme Court of the United States from within and with one of the justices being a closeted lesbian. This topic is near and dear to my heart, as I suspect it is to many of us.<\/p>\n

Supreme Court Justice Victoria Willoughby is already nervous enough about hearing arguments about the federal government\u2019s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it\u2019s legal. Based upon the personalities and political leanings of many of the other justices, she knows it\u2019s going to be an uphill battle. On top of that, while she has never formally acknowledged her sexuality, it\u2019s an open secret and she has to field media questions about why she won\u2019t recuse herself. Outside pressures mount steadily when it becomes clear there\u2019s a leak in her office, an overzealous reporter keeps getting her phone number, and a stalker is pestering her. When her college flame shows up representing the plaintiffs, her world is well and truly thrown off kilter.<\/p>\n

For her part, Genevieve Fortin isn\u2019t overly pleased at having to deal with Victoria. The justice broke her heart and she would rather not go through those memories again, thank you very much. She has more than enough to deal with in keeping her plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers from each others\u2019 throats. However, try as she might, she simply cannot seem to avoid Victoria. Their meetings are not only problematic because of the court case, but they also threaten to bring back every emotion Genevieve thought long-buried.<\/p>\n

When arguments in front of the court are finally complete, the two women start to thaw toward each other. But will the weight of the years and the hurts done to each other smother their rekindled attraction? And will events put into action without their knowledge pull them apart before they can get together again?<\/p>\n

[tweetthis]Barring Complications by @BlytheRippon looks awesome – check it out here [\/tweetthis]<\/p>\n

The Characters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Victoria Willoughby is the perfect lawyer who has sacrificed her personal life to get right where she wants to be: the Supreme Court. Though she is a lesbian, and most people seem cognizant of the fact, she doesn\u2019t seem to have carried on a romantic relationship with anybody of note since she parted ways with Genevieve. Now that she\u2019s where she always wanted to be, she\u2019s started questioning whether the sacrifices were worth it. Her empty house and bed are only partially alleviated by her brother and his family. On the one hand, Victoria seems to relish her independence, but she is also deeply lonely and without many prospects to do something about it.<\/p>\n

Genevieve Fortin, by contrast, is as out as it is possible to be. Since the disastrous end to her relationship with Victoria, she has flitted from one romance to another, though none have stuck. She certainly seems to enjoy herself. However, since running back into Victoria, the fun seems to have gone out of the chase. Now she has to decide if she\u2019s ready to put the past behind her with Victoria, or if she\u2019s ready to give it another try, even if it means heartbreak all over again.<\/p>\n

Blythe has created a whole host of secondary characters who are quite fun, and are each fully-realized in their own right. I suspect she had a good time with them. There\u2019s Rosie, owner of a DC flower shop, and one of Victoria\u2019s few confidantes. Alistair Douglas, one of the liberal judges and Victoria\u2019s friend and mentor on the court never fails to amuse with his penchant for slightly off-the-wall anecdotes and his ability to put together a mean cocktail.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs\u2019 other lawyers, Nic Ford and Jamie Chance, are entertaining in their antics. A butch lesbian and flamboyant gay man respectively, their constant wrangling is a nice mirror for queer society in general. That they\u2019re able to come together and work successfully in the end further proves how effective the metaphor is. Genevieve\u2019s friend Bethany is the over-the-top personification of big Texas personalities. She\u2019s also not above giving Genevieve a hard time while offering a sympathetic ear.<\/p>\n

There are only a few of the well-drawn characters in the roster, but these entertained me the most.<\/p>\n

The Writing Style<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The writing style is interesting, as the book is broken out into distinct chunks, each from Victoria or Genevieve\u2019s points-of-view. During each chunk, we follow along closely with that character. In the book\u2019s first half, there is little direct interaction between the two main characters. Instead, we get that interaction in the form of flashbacks to the women\u2019s relationship at Harvard. It\u2019s an interesting authorial choice, but one that works quite well.<\/p>\n

Blythe also does an amazing job with the dialogue. It\u2019s very natural and has a great rhythm, which can be difficult to do. It is hard to believe this is her first novel as it has very few of the flaws one would expect from one\u2019s maiden voyage.<\/p>\n

The amount of detail about the Supreme Court and its inner workings is very impressive. Blythe has done her research, and done it well.<\/p>\n

The Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Blythe manages to pull together an engaging personal story that weaves in and around the bigger story of the gay marriage movement\u2019s legal struggles for recognition. She has a huge stable of characters who will have you arguing with your friends over which one is your favourite. The romance is both tender and warm while unfolding slowly. At the beginning of the book, the parts I couldn\u2019t wait to get to were the flashbacks to Genevieve and Victoria\u2019s Harvard days. I would love to see more of that at some point. Maybe Blythe can be prevailed upon to offer up a short story or novella about their early romance.<\/p>\n

The Cons<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My only reservation was the need to include the stalker. There are certainly enough forces arrayed against Victoria, and the stalker plotline felt a little tacked on. It disappeared halfway through the story and I had almost forgotten about it when it reappeared later on. There should have been enough anxiety and angst wrapped up in the potential confirmation of her sexuality to the press, and the stalker seemed unnecessary. That said, it\u2019s a minor point and one that didn\u2019t diminish my enjoyment of the story at all.<\/p>\n

The Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is an excellent book and an incredibly impressive debut work. If you haven\u2019t read it yet, do yourself a favour and head out and pick up a copy. Then get your friends to read it and have spirited discussions over which secondary character is the best. My vote goes to Bethany who cracks me up. I love someone who can good-naturedly give the people in her life that much crap, but still be warm-hearted and caring when it\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from <\/strong>Barring Complications by Blythe Rippon<\/strong><\/h2>\n

She was about to ask McKinzie how potty training his new dog was coming along when the door opened and Alistair Douglas entered. He took his seat at the vacant end of the oval table opposite O\u2019Neil.<\/p>\n

\u201cApologies for my late arrival. My clerk and I were distracted by this afternoon\u2019s HER announcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria raised her eyebrows. She hadn\u2019t heard any announcement from Her Equal Rights, a women\u2019s rights organization that worked alongside agencies such as NCLR and the Human Rights Campaign. She took a sip of tea and continued to twirl her pen while waiting for Alistair to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter HER publicized that they have a new president, HRC and NCLR announced that they\u2019ve changed the legal team arguing the Iowa gay marriage case, should we grant it cert. Which, of course, we have. And they\u2019ll know that this afternoon when we publicize the docket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kellen drummed his fingers on the tabletop. \u201cAlistair. Wrap this up sometime today, please?\u201d<\/p>\n

After a dramatic eye roll, a huge Cheshire grin spread across Alistair\u2019s face. \u201cThe new president of HER, and lead counsel for the Iowa case, is Genevieve Fornier.\u201d He pulled a piece of paper out of his briefcase and slid it down the table, revealing a printout from the HER website with the announcement.<\/p>\n

There she was.<\/p>\n

In the photo, she was descending marble courtroom steps, her black skirt suit showing off chiseled legs and black stilettos. Her black hair was styled to perfection. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to bore into everyone in the room. She might have been a model, except that every justice there knew her as a tough-as-nails litigator with an off-the-charts track record.<\/p>\n

The faces to the right of Kellen O\u2019Neil looked annoyed. Expressions of delight could be found to his left.<\/p>\n

A small gasp escaped Victoria\u2019s lips and her pen clattered to the floor.<\/p>\n

Get this book on Amazon<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"amazon<\/a> \"amazon<\/a> \"amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bits and Bobs<\/strong><\/h3>\n