A short novel set in the Dunes, South of ROME, LAZIO
A novel of a friendship group set in MASSACHUSETTS
30th September 2026
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson, a novel of a friendship group set in Massachusetts.
I very much enjoyed Pineapple Street (set in Brooklyn) by Jenny Jackson, so it was inevitable that I would be drawn to this novel, especially with such an attractive and eye-catching cover.
Caroline is the daughter of a famous writer and she herself has authorial aspirations. When a piece of hers appears in the New Yorker, she decides to jack in her job, apply for a writerly residency in fictional Greenhead in Massachusetts (which is charmingly oh-so-New-England), and installs herself for several months in a small cabin, so that she can focus on her writing. Her mother is predictably sniffy and proves to be a rather self-referring icon in the literary world and not the kind of support that Caroline really needs.
A serendipitous encounter with Van Whitaker adds a joyous element to her sojourn and the two soon start seeing each other more seriously.
He has a group of established friends, with whom he has hung out over years and clearly she must find her place. However, dynamics are changing as relationships tip, children make demands, and to cap it all, his long term friend (not girl-friend) Augusta is pregnant with Van’s child. Van is clear that he and Augusta do not have a sustainable relationship and that he is positively choosing to be with Caroline.
This is a story of friends and futures, told from varying POVs and the story slides along without finding its true momentum. Things turn and Caroline turns with determination to hone her writing skills, as that is the only way she can make sense of unfolding events.
This is very much a character driven story which is clearly the author’s forte. In this novel I was yearning to get to know Caroline, then the narrative switched to the next person and I found it a little frustrating that none of the characters truly blossomed for me. It is nevertheless a good story of group dynamics and individual drives, with a terrifically painted New England backdrop.
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