Switzy
Emma Cline
Switzy follows a rich septuagenarian over his final days as his mind slips away. It's agonizing (and humbling) to watch a formerly ultra-competent person navigate with a world made unfamiliar by dementia. Although the subject matter and protagonist feel very different from Cline's previous books, the spare, effective writing style and "week in the life with flashbacks" set-up is all her.
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★ 5The Guest
Emma Cline
A beautiful twenty-something is staying with her older lover on Long Island. She flirts with someone else in front of him, and he kicks her out. Most people would go home… but Alex stays. Typically, after a few months, a book’s plot becomes hazy — I read this one three years ago and could write the Wikipedia plot summary.
★ 5Writers & Lovers
Lily King
The protagonist of Lily King’s novel Writers & Lovers lives in Cambridge, too, but Casey is older than Becky, a little more rudderless. Her mother has just died, her boyfriend has broken up with her, and she’s living in a garden shed splitting her time between waitressing and writing. It sounds depressing. It’s not. Casey’s wit, relatability, and dogged ambition make her easy to spend time with, and I ended the book almost hoping I’d run into her in Harvard Square.
★ 5Sandwich
Catherine Newman
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman, describes a family’s week-long vacation in Wellfleet and instantly transported me back. It’s funny, moving, and relatable, much like Newman herself (Aliza and I saw her speak in Boston a few weeks ago.) If you just finished All Fours and aren’t ready to stop thinking/reading about menopause, try Sandwich next.