I seem to really be into prose written by poets – they can make the mundane world sound beautiful. This book was recommended by Oprah for her book club, and so I approached it with a little circumspection. It contains a pretty bleak portrait of American life, at least in this New England town, and the author really nails down some of the flaws in what so many people call “The Greatest Country in the World”.
While reading I sort of inwardly groaned when introduced to a cast of outwardly goofy characters, but for some reason this time they didn’t stray into campy. I think the reason might be that everyone seems so genuine – despite their quirks they are good people trying hard in tough circumstances.
I liked how to book slowly revealed the plot and I also noticed that the pop culture references seemed to be right in my wheelhouse. The book was funny, sad, wise and definitely worth reading.
Next I am reading The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.
