The Bottom Line: Part rescue thriller, part buddy comedy, The Bulgarian Bartender is a can’t-miss women’s adventure through Eastern Europe.
Kaylee McDouglas is desperate for a way out of her small town life. When boyfriend Stan presents her with an engagement ring, she immediately agrees to fly from Ohio to Europe to meet his parents. Meanwhile, longtime besties Tiff and Angie find it hard to be supportive. They don’t approve of the way Stan treats her, and his stated profession is straight out of a Seinfeld episode (“import/export”). Despite the extravagant diamond now on Kaylee’s ring finger, the best Angie can muster is, “It’s your funeral.”
Resignation over Kaylee’s life-changing decision soon turns to panic. Days after her departure, Kaylee, usually glued to her phone, suddenly goes dark during her travels in Bulgaria. A single cryptic message – “ANG, HELP ME!!” — breaks the silence. While Tiff hopes it’s just a fashion emergency, she and Angie are soon forced to confront the reality that their friend may be in mortal danger.
In Tiff and Angie, debut novelist Daryl Kulak has created a pair of hilariously gritty American heroines. Tiff, an impulsive stripper and part-time karate instructor, openly calls herself “worthless” and describes herself as “not that smart” (granted, her geography is horrendous). Angie is a rough-around-the-edges union welder, but possesses a confidence and carefree nature that neither of her friends do. Kaylee’s disappearance is a catalyst for change for both women, thrusting the duo into roles they never anticipated as they embark on a quirky rescue mission to Europe.
As the story progresses and the duo claw their way through the foreign landscape – the area around the ancient Belogradchik Fortress is a highlight – Kulak’s prose becomes increasingly vivid. The more Kulak reveals the trap that Kaylee has likely fallen into, the more addictive the story becomes. As Kulak introduces more detail about the Thracian Brotherhood, a criminal organization involved in human trafficking and other illicit activities, he raises the stakes, occasionally dangling the possibility that his heroines’ wit and grit may not be quite enough to save their BFF from a powerful criminal underworld.
As the street-smart midwesterners increasingly realize they are truly strangers in a strange land (think Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar), Kulak creates rare comic chemistry. Much of the book’s humor lies in the banter between each the two main characters, but it’s especially on-target as they interact with locals, whether their guests are trying to figure out American idioms (“hit da hay”) or simply repeating what the girls say (“yes, much, much Roman shit”). Kulak deftly balances darkness and light en route to a rousing conclusion.
