The Bunko Babes
Leah Starr Baker
Emerald Pointe

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It is May 2006, 6:16 PM, Thursday. Hurrying around the house; the speaker is preparing for a weekly Bunko night.

Becca and Thomas have been married for fifteen years. They are parents of thirteen year old twins, Robert and Brooklyn. Thirty-seven year old Rebecca –Becca- Thornton is a move it, hide it but not inevitably a clean it up type housekeeper.

The author says in her opening: The game of Bunko isn’t necessarily about dice and door prizes. Rather it is about fun, food, and fellowship, and the taking time out of our unbelievably busy lives to come together, once a week or once a month, to reconnect with our community of friends.

When this particular Bunko crowd begins to appear at Becca and Thomas’ home we get together with several of Oklahoma inhabitant Becca Thornton’s acquaintances. There is Becca’s best friend Jessica

Goldstein and calamari toting, Prada clothed Madison Monroe. Jessica’s newlywed, pregnant, half sister Kathleen Stone, nicknamed Kitty Kat is among the group as is left over flower child Autumn Levitt,

mother of eight who homeschools and is into organic foods, home birth and homeopathic foods. R. N. Karen Jones who works at St Francis Hospital, Mercedes Wallace from Argentina, and newest member of the group Michelle Black round out the members of the Bunko group.

The narrative moves the reader into the talk and foodstuff that accompanies a Bunko evening, and proceeds into the heart ache felt by one woman who has discovered she will not ever be able to have children. The reader is brought face to face with the dread another woman must face during a life threatening medical problem. Camping trips, teen angst, toilet training, recipe ideas, these women face the many of the issues as do most wives and mothers.

As does many women, Becca Thornton loves her husband and children nevertheless she craves some time with women friends as well. It was with the assistance of three close friends, that Becca begins the weekly Bunko group. The women thought the group would present some enjoyable visiting, and talking time.

The women little realized at the start that they would eventually come to depend upon one another in more depth than they any of them had ever realized. The women come to depend upon each other to find the power and faith they require to face calamity and upsets in their lives.

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, „The Bunko Babes“ is Christian fiction based on the first person reflections of wife, mother, friend, Becca Thornton. Well developed characters are nicely fleshed, have all the foibles, idiosyncrasy, shortcomings and faults as do we all. Becca is abruptly taken aback to be told that her recently widowed mother, plans to remarry. Kids perform as kids pretty much do everywhere. Marriage, hidden secrets, unfaithfulness, infirmity, pregnancy, battles of faith, in addition to wellbeing, divorce, betrayal, tears and laughter along with the speaker’s own bond with God are all part of the book as they are part of life itself.

To some extent, I found „The Bunko Babes“ to be a most out of the ordinary read simply because I live not far from Tulsa, the setting for the tale and know many of the places, mentioned in the narrative. Grand Lake where I used to live, Zios where we have enjoyed many a meal and St Francis Hospital where a relative is employed brings the story to life in a special way to me.

I enjoyed reading of these fictional, true to life women. Their at time giggly madness, faith, vigor and pulling together when needed are all part of long and considerate relationship that can grow between people having dissimilar interest but who share companionship despite the differences.

While not a deep thought provoking exposition „The Bunko Babes“ is a good book for a summer after noon spent on the front porch sipping sweet tea, reading and enjoying summer in the South or for reading before a roaring fire as the wind howls and the reader enjoys a nice cup of tea while reading a compelling, well written work.

Happy to recommend.

Biblical passages scattered throughout the work may put some readers off. On the other hand, Becca and her friends are women to whom belief and faith come as easily as does water from the tap, plus, Biblical reference is often part of the South conversation.