Ya-Ya Sisters are simply 'Divine'

C'est un histoire magnifique. It is the zestful tale of friendship, love, anguish and depression. Yet, it is not any ordinary tale for its main players are not an ordinary bunch of ladies. Teensy, Necie, Vivi and Caro are La communaute des soeurs. In her heart-warming novel "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," Rebecca Wells paints the intriguing picture of four exotic, erratic, neurotic friends that make-up the Ya-Ya sisterhood.

Wells describes the unique bond of friendship that four southern belles share. She depicts their crazy adventures as youths and their extremely bizarre bonding rituals. Wells then describes how the lives of these women affect their children, the petite Ya-Yas, focusing mainly on the life of Sidda, Vivi's oldest daughter. Wells paints the plunge of the lead character, Sidda, into a mid-life crisis so swiftly that the reader does not even recognize it until Sidda herself does. Wells then uses the basis of the crisis to further describe the other generations of women. The story unfolds in the present, and is then drawn further and further into the past. It constantly regroups in the present where Wells further clarifies the circumstances and, eventually, the novel ends in modern time.

In so doing, Wells sheds light on how much a mother can affect her daughter, and the potential disaster this influence can cause. Through brilliant language and cunning style, the reader is both sympathetic and angry with the turn of events. For example, Sidda blames her mid-life crisis on her mother, yet her mother has a personality that one can hardly detest. Vivi had a habit of abandoning her four children and this has now left Sidda with some severe abandonment issues. But we learn that Vivi's abandonment of her four monsters is actually a direct result of the deep resentment and hatred that Vivi received from her mother.

Wells does not explicitly say this, but rather tells thrilling tales that lead the reader to such conclusions. Through violent twists of fate, Wells intricately weaves the lives of three generations of women so masterfully and swiftly that the transition is not apparent, yet the reader is never left with any doubt as to who the anecdote relates.

While focusing on the bonds of sisterhood and friendship, Wells still manages to explore many other poignant subjects, including the travails of adolescence, lost love and alcoholism. All of these issues, the love and loss that the women endure, add to their character, and are then passed on to their children.

Throughout the novel, Wells intersperses key French words and phrases which serve to draw the reader into the culture of central Louisiana, the home of the Teensy, Necie, Caro and Vivi. It is a time and a place where elegance is the standard, and where the smell of fresh pastries permeates the air. The Ya-Yas create for themselves a world in which worry seems not to exist, where women can explore their nature without the pressure of society's stigmas.

Wells use of French phrases strengthens the poetic rhythm of the novel. The fantastic placement of such phrases leaves the non-French speaking reader with an understanding of the mood, and those with even mild French comprehension can relive the scene almost firsthand.

The novel is so unique because its characters and their relationships are quite rare. The bonds of love that existed in the Ya-Ya sisterhood are unparalleled; the readers lives vicariously through the friendships that are so hard to find. The only jealousy is that which arises in the reader who yearns for such powerful, unconditional, eternal bonds of friendship.

While a man may not love this novel, it is great opportunity to learn about the inner enigma of women. It is certain however, that it will enthrall women everywhere. The language of Wells alone captures the reader, and the 300-plus pages read like a short story. The laughter combine with tears that prove the impact of Wells's gift.

It is sentimental without being sappy; it is intellectual without being difficult. Sans doute, sans doute.

- Corinne Schneider

09-10-98