Novel Whore

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After a long snowy weekend I ventured to the Doylestown Library to spend some time amongst the stacks, get some book recommendations from the librarians, and of course come home with an armful of delicious novels. One of the selections recommended was Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie, a Pulitzer Prize winner. I wasn’t blown away by the characters as much as I pitied them, and not in a good way. I always wonder if I could be friends with characters, whether I like them or not, as it’s often more fun to love to hate someone than it is to recognize that they are invisible and add no value to your life, and unfortunately I could have found much better bed mates than Vinnie and Fred.

Vinnie and Fred are both American professors spending time doing research in London. Fred is dashing, young, and married, while Vinnie is dumpy, middle aged and a spinster, though she has enjoyed sex as she continually points out. Their foibles are common, at times comedic, but mostly remind me of everyday life, which is something I want to avoid when I’m reading a novel. The characters don’t learn much about themselves, aren’t forced to change their views or grow, and the plot turns are fairly obvious. There are some gems though, for instance:

Sometimes Vinnie wonders why any woman ever gets into bed with any man. To take off all your clothes and lie down beside some unclothed larger person is a terribly risky business. The odds are stacked almost as heavily against you as in the New York state lottery. He could hurt you; he could laugh at you; he could take one look at your naked aging body and turn away in ill-concealed, embarrassed distaste. He could turn out to be awkward, selfish, inept – even totally incompetent. He could have some peculiar sexual hangup: a fixation on your underclothes to the exclusion of you, for instance, or on one sexual variation to the exclusion of all else. the risks are so high that really no woman in her right mind would take such a chance – except that when you do take such a chance you’re usually not in your right mind.

Amen sister.

I do appreciate Lurie’s down to Earth writing, bringing to light the illusions of our belief that attractive people always have better lives, and chronicling the sexual thoughts of a middle aged woman. I’d love to hear what you thought of Foreign Affairs if you’ve read it!

Foreign Affairs: A Novel

Novel Whore Rating: 3 Notches on the Bed Post

Wine Pairing: Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2007

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