Suzanne Berne

This was a great read. A seemingly idyllic suburban community is fractured by a fight over a dog park and the ensuing poisoning of dogs. It's about so much more than that, though - primarily the hollowness of such towns and the dissatisfaction felt by people who appear to have everything going for them. There are echoes of John Cheever in that, along with the humor and sharp observation of Elinor Lipman, plus a dash of Stephen King (psychological unease King, not horror King). The novel is well-paced and peopled with interesting characters.

4 stars… (more)

Eat Pray Love opened the door to the #whitewomenwoes genre that should be firmly shut unless you can turn it into as poetic and universal an experience as something Edith Wharton or Carson McCullers would write.

Ennui is not easy to empathize with when the sufferers can cure the disease instantly by getting beyond their self-absorbed, insular, fake fears upper middle class to lower rich class lives.

I, silly me, expected the book to involve dogs. Instead, the dogs are just a gimmick to further reflect the misery of people who have too much money, too many possessions, too many prestigious finance jobs, and too many years of being around only people just like each other.… (more)