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SCUMBLER

In Wharton's two best novels, Birdy and Dad, a trapdoor seems to open about halfway through—with the reader suddenly dropped to a startling plane of reality, something very different from the conventional reality suggested by the homely, casual surface tone. In Wharton's unimpressive third novel, however, A Midnight Clear, that trap-door effect seemed to be infinitely deferred, then never happened at all. And here the effect is attempted, but halfheartedly, making this a disappointing book, though far superior to A Midnight Clear. Scumbler is the narrator, an expatriate American painter living in Paris with his wife and whichever of his five children aren't currently in college in California. Scumbler is a "nester" ("slumlord," he admits, would be another way to term it)—fixing up dismal Parisian properties, then renting them out to other artists or to students, occasionally using them himself for studio-space or storage. His paintings don't bring in much money. But Scumbler is property-rich and enjoys his life: the infrequent windfall, his collection of clocks, riding his motorcycle, painting in the streets while flirting with the many women who talk to him. He's a loping, attractive character, vain and impetuous but also quite level in most of the important ways, faithful to family and to art. He believes in the subjective ("true surrealism"); he entertains classically crackpot ideas gracefully, wanting 'to be unhitched from my particular little niche in sequential time and move easily along the boards of continuous time"; he writes small poems so awful they're charming. ("WILLFUL, LAST-DITCH WANDERINGS,/UNFILLED PROMISES LIE HEAVY IN MY SOUL,/BRAIN-FILLED EYES NOT SEEING, NOR KNOWING/THE BLUE OF CLEAR AND CLOUDLESS SKIES.") And, in its low-key way, this is one of the best pictures in contemporary fiction of an unfashionable, probably mediocre, everyday artist. Then, however, comes that trap-door effect, about midway through: Scumbler does a self-portrait ("body with a brain seeing a brain through a body")—and the painted image of himself becomes him, leaves him only a body, collapsed on the floor. But this experience is not repeated; nor is it really developed except in ever fainter resonance—with autobiographical clues (Scumbler is the grown-up Birdy) that Wharton seems ambivalent and/or lazy about providing. Thus, the novel's immanent eerieness remains tantalizingly out-of-reach, with glimmers only for alert Wharton devotees. And the result is, for the most part, no more nor less than a genial, flabby self-portrait of the artist/writer—heavy on set-pieces of middle-aged bohemian apprehension and aw-shucks equability, evocative and often-appealing, but without narrative shape or depth.

Pub Date: May 22, 1984

ISBN: 1557042586

Page Count: 292

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Jan. 1, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1984

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IT ENDS WITH US

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

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Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

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THE IDEA OF YOU

A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.

When Solène Marchand takes her 12-year-old daughter to a concert by the hottest boy band on the planet, she doesn't expect to fall in love with one of the singers.

Middle-aged art gallery owner Solène hasn’t dated since her divorce, but when her ex-husband buys their daughter and a group of her friends tickets to Vegas and a backstage concert experience, then backs out at the last minute, she steps in as escort. The five guys in the wildly popular English boy band August Moon appeal to women of all ages, but Hayes, the brains behind the group’s success, flirts with Solène at the concert meet and greet, invites them to a party after the show, then pursues her once she gets back to Los Angeles. He’s only 20 and he’s incredibly famous; his attention is flattering and heady. The two fall into an affair that’s supposed to be light and easy, but before long they can’t ignore their intense emotional attachment. Solène is hesitant to tell her daughter, but when she procrastinates, Isabelle learns about it through an online tabloid, which damages their relationship and leaves Solène open to censure from her ex. Then, once the affair goes viral, she experiences the darker side of Hayes’ fan base. What started out as a jaunty adventure turns into an emotionally fraught journey, and Solène must decide what she’s willing to risk for her happiness and what she won’t risk for her daughter’s. Actress Lee, who appeared in Fifty Shades Darker, debuts with a beautifully written novel that explores sex, love, romance, and fantasy in moving, insightful ways while also examining a woman’s struggle with aging and sexism, with a nod at the tension between celebrity and privacy.

A fascinating, thought-provoking, genre-bending romantic read.

Pub Date: June 13, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-250-12590-3

Page Count: 384

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Review Posted Online: April 3, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

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