A Place For Us: A Novel by Liza Gyllenhaal

A Place For Us: A Novel.  Liza Gyllenhaal. Penguin Group (USA). March 2013. 336 pp. hbk. ISBN #: 9780451239235.

Brook Bostock wonders in the back of her mind whether her husband, Michael, married her for love or for her family’s money.  Both are deeply in love with each other after fifteen years of marriage. They moved back to Michael’s hometown but his family has never really accepted her, believing her penchant for entertaining extravagantly is showing off.  In reality, it’s a part of the successful business she and her friend have developed over the years.  Now the very foundations of their life are about to be challenged big time.

Their son, Liam, has always been close to a girl Phoebe.  One night he arrives with his friend Brandon and Carey, who are brothers.  All have been drinking way too much and Phoebe is sexually attacked by one of them.  Her parents, especially her father Troy, are more than outraged when they see the bruises on her body and promise to bring legal action.  Phoebe initially in a moment of anger at something Liam said, a terrible betrayal of their relationship, accuses the attacker and rumors begin to fly.  The town is a rumor mill that demands retribution from Brook and Michael, holding them responsible for the terrible events of that night.

The novel continues to depict the quandary about who is to blame, parental responsibilities, and the attitude of those who believe the wealthy can buy their way out of any illegality or immorality.  To say more would be a spoiler, but suffice to say there’s no guessing the outcome.  The pages fly and the intensity deepen over an issue that is timeless and has happened to more than one unfortunate family, wealthy or not.  Liza Gyllenhaal is a writer to note well as she definitely knows how to craft not only the central issue but also the teenage angst of those who have failed and are trying to find enough self-worth to surmount their greatest weakness.  Self-identity is the essence of the characters’ struggles and its true definition and evolution.  Very nicely done, Liza Gyllenhaal!

So Near - A Novel by Liza Gyllenhaal

So Near: A Novel. Liza Gyllenhaal. New American Library. September 2011. 336 pp. paperback. ISBN #: 9780451234575.

One minute, a father is worry about his father’s business turning sour in a changing economy. Then the same father is enjoying a baseball game, having a few beers, and thinking how great life is, while his wife is preparing for a large barbecue party. Half an hour later, their lives are turned upside down with a terrible, terrible loss, and the horrific future seems to be an impossible reality to get through. Everyone tries to ensure that there is no guilt to be carried but each parent believes he or she is to blame for this nightmare they are now living second by second, minute by minute…

How does one cope with the most devastating death one would not want to imagine? Cal’s brother says a lawsuit is the answer, yet Cal suspects his brother Edwin’s motives are questionable. They are and the further shock that eventually is disclosed is expected because of certain moments when the reader is expecting something financially crushing is about to happen, so aptly does the author foreshadow each phase of this world-shaking event.

Little by little, Cal and Jenny Horigan mourn in different ways and learn not to speak in order not to expose blame or self-recrimination. It reaches a point where each turns elsewhere for desperate communication. Before the Horigan marriage totally sinks into a hole beyond redemption, a stranger comes into their world in a way that could put the finishing touches on a doomed relationship or perhaps provide something else of a more miraculous nature.

So Near is a heart-rending, honest, pragmatic, searing look at love that is called to endure far more than any person should ever have to bear but a love that is so deep that a spark remains to be kindled by a series of miraculous mistakes and interactions. Read it and weep! Read it, smile, and celebrate the gift of life! Tender, compelling novel, Liza Gyllenhaal – you so obviously know of what you write!!!