Carpe Diem, Illinois

November 24, 2014
In Oakley’s novel, Leo Townsend is a Pulitzer Prize–nominated reporter battling a series of personal demons that have put him on probation at his newspaper. He’s given an assignment that seems innocuous at first glance: investigate the town of Carpe Diem, an enclave in Illinois with no schools (the families all “unschool” their children). As Townsend begins his research, he stumbles upon a conspiracy to destroy Carpe Diem and its education system, or lack thereof. Oakley’s concept is interesting, but the residents of Carpe Diem tend to be one-dimensional. The teenagers come off as Stepford children, perfectly well-behaved, intelligent, and educated in everything from auto mechanics to nursing. The adults, meanwhile, are mired in alcohol, adultery, blackmail, corruption, and murder. Oakley’s heavy promotion of unschooling tends to slow the pace at times. Still, the amateur sleuthing and clever deceptions should delight fans of cozy mysteries.

A small town's embrace of "unschooling" reveals massive government corruption and personal battles in Oakley's debut novel, the first in a planned series.In the intentional community of Carpe Diem, Illinois, the town's 3,000 residents educate their children using a hands-off home-schooling method known as "unschooling," much to the consternation of a state senator and a political aide. Veteran reporter Leo, who wavers between hard-hitting investigative journalism and drinking binges, is given one final chance to turn his career around when he's assigned to the town to get the story. As he uncovers connections among the town's leaders, a near-fatal accident and a bill to ban home schooling in the state, he realizes that he has the chance to once again break a story about massive political corruption. A secondary plotline follows Tali, the daughter of the anti-home-schooling senator, who finds her own place for herself in Carpe Diem as her mother recovers in the local hospital. Oakley does a good job of wrapping up the many complex plot threads by the end of the book. However, the story relies heavily on coincidence and readers' willingness to suspend disbelief regarding the more outlandish machinations. Characters often engage in expository conversations about the value of alternative forms of education. On the whole, however, the book avoids preachiness as it presents the many positive aspects of unschooling. The prose is somewhat unpolished, particularly in its excessive repetition of minor details; Leo's ringtone, for example, is described nearly every time he answers his phone, and readers are also repeatedly told how attractive he is. That said, Leo is an engaging character throughout, with enough faults and complexities to keep readers' attention.A unique combination of small-town chronicle and political thriller that's likely to draw in fans of both genres. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.