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Description
As A.M. Homes's incendiary novel unfolds, the Kodacolor hues of the good life become nearly hallucinogenic.Laying bare th foundations of a marriage, flash frozen in the anxious entropy of a suburban subdivision, Paul and Elaine spin the quit terors of family life into a fantastical frenzy that... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Cast of Characters/Important People
- Paul, husband: Add a description of this character.
- Elaine, wife
- Daniel, their teenage son
- Sammy, their younger son (about 9)
- Nate (sammy's friend)
- Mrs. Apple, Nate's mother and woman with whom Paul is having an affair
- Pat and George, neighbors with whom Paul and Elaine stay after their house burns
- Liz, Elaine's best friend
- Mrs. Hansen, neighbors that helps Elaine take care of things
Memorable Quotes
-
“Their nakedness is like a joke, something contrived to make them seem more exposed, only it fails--their skin is only another ill-fitting layer, like clothing. It has lost its memory--the landscape of the body hangs loose, shapeless. They make no effort to disguise themselves, to hide themselves, and there is something to be said for the honesty, the extreme humanity of all this faulted flesh--it is heartbreaking.”
-
“At their house things don't go like this; nothing is easy; it's every man for himself, each hoarding what little he has, each wanting his own, each wanting something different. They speak in the defensive. They wait for the disappointment. They constantly accumulate proof of having been let down, misunderstood, unappreciated. They are a tense and bitter lot and haven't even noticed it until now.”
-
“All day long she's had things to say to Paul, things ranging from the incredibly warm and generous to the horrific: I adore you, you're the best, we can fix this house, we can make it better, you were so wonderful this morning. But then I remembered what an asshole you are and how you're screwing God knows how many women, and I hate you, I despise you. You're a dsgusting vile shit, and I want out. I just want out, whatever that means.”
-
“Clean clothes are like fresh bandages, covering everything, making it smooth, easy, nice.”
Elaine to herself -
“But if you noticed less--if everything didn't mean so terrifically much--things would be better.”
Paul to Elaine -
“Are you ready to go, or do you want to cll and tell them that we're not coming because Thursday is our day to stay home and fight?”
Paul to Elaine -
“If nothing else, it seems like the one thing we do well--we fight and we fuck. That's how we know we're still married.”
Paul to Elaine -
“I'm stuck...I'm incredibly, horribly stuck. It's like I'm in a coma and can't wake up. Like I'm under the surface.”
Elaine to Liz -
“He is thinking about aging, about failure and reinvention. He needs to get back in the game, to be on top, to win.”
Paul thinking to himself -
“Every day Elaine thinks of disappearing. She will leave and take nothing with her--"You have yourself" is what people say, and that's what stops her. She fears she is nothing. Nonexistent.”
-
“Paul and Elaine are in a peculiar place where they really can't do much for each other; they are going forward, lost in themselves, --each awkward in a different way, each with reasons.”
-
“Because that's what people do, they constantly try to knock each other down and mow each other over.”
Elaine to Paul -
“"Thank God I'm being unlike myself, " she says, "There's hope yet."”
-
“Self- improvement. A renovation of the soul. Paul is on his way to work. He wants to be a better person. He wants not to run, not to cave in under pressure, not to sweat the small stuff; he wants to live without fear, not in a constant state of inexplicable panic. Perspective and priority, efficiency and competency. He is always tripping over his own feet. He is his own worst enemy, He wants to do better.”
First Sentence
IT IS AFTER MIDNIGHT on one of those Friday nights when the guests have all gone home and the host and hostess are left in their drunkenness to try and put things right again.
Table of Contents
Authors & Contributors
- A. M. Homes (Author)
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