It really does not matter to me, darlings, but I am telling you, after reading 'Fleishman Is In Trouble," and then seeing the movie "Marriage Story" (which I have not, yet) one would not blame anyone for writing off heterosexual marriage.
Even on its own, Taffy Brodesser-Akner's--Lord, what a name!!!--debut novel does not make a good case for things. Both Fleishmans, Toby, and his getting divorced from wife, Rachel, are dislikable and unsympathetic. Toby is some Wallace Shawn like troll who hunts for women, and, for some reason, these women, from tramps to Upper East Side social types, latch on to him, like he is catnip, when he clearly is not! Why? The author does not give the reader a clue.
As for Rachel, she is a total bitch! She goes on some abandonment binge, clearly uncaring about her two children, Hannah and Solly, and the reader is supposed to care about her. Just whom is the reader supposed to care about? And why?
And yet, the writing is excellent, if flaky. The author shifts points of view, without telling us they are coming, tends to repeat several passages toward the end, and foreshadows the very last sentence, before it is even read. Little Miss Show Off does not give any clear motivation for resorting to these tactics, and I, for one, did not care for them.
Which does not mean I did not like "Fleishman Is In Trouble." It is a worthy entry in the pantheon of Contemporary New York Novels. But if the author wants to continue successfully, she better settle down to straightforward narration, instead of resorting to cheap tricks for her own benefit.
Yes, I have reservations about this book. But I wouldn't stop anyone from reading it!
And, darlings, you know if I thought it that bad, I WOULD say it!
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