As I may have mentioned, up until now, I had only read through the last third of the Tales of the City once, as they got released. So, this makes my second read of Mary Ann in Autumn, and I was amazed at how much I missed the first time through.
Unlike Book 7, Book 8 is back to the more rambling narrative following around several characters instead of being a first person narrative. Which is good, since it introduces us better to some of the newer or better aged characters that we caught glimpses of in the last volume. In particular, transman Jake Greenleaf, who's become transson to Anna, as well as a particular caretaker of her. Mind you, most of his narrative here involves his attraction to a Mormon missionary who needs a man to help him through his desire for other men. (Given how bad Jake's dysmorphia is, there's a lot of underlying irony here.)
We also get more of Shawna, Brian and Mary Ann's adoptive daughter, who writes a sex blog of sorts, although a chance meeting with a homeless woman helps her transition into some new styles of writing and a less Bettie Page look. (Her story crosses into her adoptive mother's towards the end, and we'll return to that here in a bit.)
However, as the title suggests, most of the narrative revolves around Mary Ann. Mary Ann is headed back to San Francisco, ready to divorce her husband following him leaving his Skype up while having a European affair with her life coach. This is right after telling him she might be pregnant, but she hasn't told him the real diagnosis of uterine cancer. Thus her return to the City, since she and Michael have evidently mended fences quite a bit. Michael and Ben put her up in their guest cottage until the surgery and during her recovery. In a surprise to both of them, Ben and Mary Ann bond, with Ben getting her on FaceBook, and taking her along on a trip to the plot of land they've bought near Tahoe where they plan on eventually building a getaway home.
Mary Ann also picks up a bit of a stalker via FaceBook, who reveals himself in the final reel.
There's quite a bit of sadness in here, as Anna gives Jake money to get his hysterectomy, the same surgery that Mary Ann is dreading, as we see Michael trying to become more of the man he wants to be, rather than who it is he wants to transition out of (again, Michael and Ben are open in their marriage, but one of Ben's tricks giving him fruit from the farmer's market sets off a large amount of jealousy). We also see Shawna and Mary Ann beginning steps towards becoming a bit closer, as the actual story of her homeless woman is directly related to Mary Ann's stalker.
The major theme here is is transition, as Mary Ann at 57 tries to change her life again, as Michael and Ben try to become the people they want themselves to be, as Shawna transitions from riot grrl to more standard writing, as Anna prepares for her time to come, as Jake learns more about what it means for him to be a man. That ride is not without bumps, but in many ways, particularly returning to themes from the beginning and wrapping up a mystery from 1976, the ride is well worth the final destination.
As a side note, my next entry will be a book I'm starting as part of an online book discussion, which may or may not add to my review, since the reread of Song of Achilles with them really makes me want to go back and redo that entry.
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