Point Dume

As a reader of Point Dume, I found this story of the surf culture and drug cartels situated in the idyllic setting of Point Dume in Malibu to be a captivating page-turner, impossible to put down. The several plot lines represented by five main characters were expertly woven into intricate twists and turns, in which lives overlapped with surprising consequences. Each of Katie Arnoldi's characters was significantly developed, so you felt yourself fully drawn into experiencing an emotional reaction to each - the signs of a truly great author! What intrigued me most was the in-depth development and analysis that permeated this excellent work. It was profoundly apparent that Katie Arnoldi had thoroughly researched the various aspects of the surf culture, the drug cartels, and Point Dume. As a reader, I found the authenticity of Katie Arnoldi's book heightened the reading experience - she built into a fascinating read, enough information to provoke thoughtful contemplation of the issues prevalent in current day society. What an enjoyable book, what provocative subjects! A must read!

A timely consideration of colliding cultures and economies, this is a fascinating read, with numerous unlikely intersections of narratives. As a So-Cal native, I was particularly moved by the character of Point Dume itself, who's growth and development are mirrored here by the invasive species of plants being harvested just a few miles away. This is in many ways Arnoldi's most complex and satisfying book.

I discovered Katie Arnoldi when I stumbled across her blog one day and was totally blown away by how brilliant, funny and just plain cool she seemed. I strongly suggest that anyone interested in writing, bats, human rights, books, William Vollmann, scuba diving, tequila, surfing and sex go check it out right away. My favorite of her posts is "MY WEEKEND IN THE HYPERBARIC CHAMBER AND OTHER MISADVENTURES." Need I say more? Anyway, after reading every word on her website and ordering her last 2 novels (also awesome), I pre-ordered this book despite the fact that I never pre-order books. I'm an immediate gratification kind of person. All I can say is that it was worth the wait. It's a beautiful looking book with both a rocky beach and a pot leaf on the cover, so I am glad to have it in hardcover. And the book is the adventure I hoped it would be. I would have read it all in one night if I hadn't forced myself to get some sleep! The characters are unusual and yet heartbreakingly real, and a couple of them really changed the way I think about things like immigrant rights, the environment, femininity and material possessions. It's rare that a novel with such killer storytelling effect your views like that. I belong to a book club that's always on the hunt for novels that will challenge, entertain and surprise us, and POINT DUME definitely delivers on all levels. I can't wait for us to discuss it at our next meeting!

In her third novel the former author of Chemical Pink and The Wentworths, Katie Arnoldi, returns with her most remarkable work to date: Point Dume. Set in Southern California's promontory beach community of the same name, Point Dume depicts a story chronicling the death of western surf culture juxtaposed against the rise of human drug trafficking across the Mexican and United States international border. This dangerously comic novel, broken down into the narrative accounts of five distinct characters, blends an acute social commentary on topical issues ranging from ecological degradation to gentrification with a more light hearted portrayal of marijuana and surfer subculture. Interspersed with vivid depictions and evocations of Mexico and America's shared cultural history and landscape as well as thoughtful reflections on the diversity of sexual politics in the region, Arnoldi crafts a work that is this summer's perfect page-turning beach read.

I've read all of Arnoldi's books, and this one is by far the most narrative and - while still maintaining all her depth and literary heft - readable. Her first book, "Chemical Pink," might turn off some with its subculture kink and hard-to-like characters, and the second, "The Wentworths," has a bit of the same (I loved them both, and so do many reviewers and fans, but I can see where others might struggle). With "Point Dume," Arnoldi has painted a broader sweep of the landscape, cross-cutting among diverse stories and characters, with what I think are her first truly sympathetic characters. The narrative arcs are less brief and the worlds more varied, yet they all weave together into a vision of Southern California and, larger still, our global village. It's a beautiful, truthful, page-turning book, and captures Malibu and its denizens, past and present, with a deft, sharp pen. I recommend it highly and am delighted to predict from Arnoldi's growth over the course of her first three novels that she will be one of our important American authors.