Spotlight On Lauren Fox
I recently read a book called STILL LIFE WITH HUSBAND by Lauren Fox. The back cover did not appeal to me, but I picked it up because Michiko Kakutani, the NYT reviewer known for what one might call nastiness, gave it a great review. The back cover goes like this:
Meet Emily Ross, thirty years old, married to her college sweetheart, and personal advocate for cake at breakfast time.Meet Emily’s husband, Kevin, a sweet technical writer with a passion for small appliances and a teary weakness for Little Women.
Enter David, a sexy young reporter with longish floppy hair and the kind of face Emily feels the weird impulse to lick.
In this captivating novel of marriage and friendship, Lauren Fox explores the baffling human heart and the dangers of getting what you wish for.
Basically, Emily gets bored with her marriage, has an affair and messes up her life. But, really, that’s too simplistic of a description. The book is more nuanced than that. What is compelling about the book is the unflinching way the author handles the subject of infidelity and all the people it touches. She doesn’t apologize or explain away Emily’s actions. She doesn’t make the husband unlikable so that Emily has some sort of justification for her behavior. Rather, Emily screws up and it’s messy just like life would be.
I actually disliked the heroine in this book. I’m thinking Fox meant for her to be flawed but lovable to the reader in a somewhat reluctant way. I never got the lovable part. Instead, I kind of wanted to smack some sense into her. But, for me, the book worked. I liked the real-life, watching-a-trainwreck feel to it.
We’re not supposed to use the term chick lit…for whatever reason…so I’ll call this smart women’s fiction (the phrase I heard recently). I recommend it for Fox’s strong writing and impressive characterizations. She does not rely on gimmicks or murders or a convoluted plot to keep your attention. The idea is simple and the prose is clean and refreshing. Mostly, however, I recommend it as an example on how to write a flawed heroine and still have the book succeed.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
What was on the back cover that didn’t appeal to you? I love the front cover.
As to “smart women’s fiction…” Is there a “stupid women’s fiction” category, too, LOL?
I’ve heard “upmarket women’s fiction,” but I don’t really know what it means. It makes me feel like I need to earn a certain level of paycheque before I can read it. I’ve also heard “light women’s fiction” as another way to get around “chick lit.”
It’s, quite frankly, ridiculous. But that’s the industry for you.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:00 am
I do love my share of trainwrecks, though this one kinda has me wavering. Maybe I’l check it out for when I need a non-romance.