We met last night to discuss Lionel Shriver's novel The Post-Birthday World, which we all loved. Sometimes we all love a book but find nothing much to talk about, but not this time. A great read, and plenty of fodder for discussion.
In Chapter 1, we meet Irina, a children's-book illustrator who lives in London with Lawrence, her think-tank policy wonk husband (well, they're not actually married, but they've been together nearly 10 years). They are very comfortable and content with their peaceful, if humdrum, expat life (they're American). Sure, Irina wouldn't mind it if once in a while they had sex in a different position or went on an exotic vacation or didn't watch TV every night after dinner, but for the most part, life is good. It's fine. Just fine.
Every July, Irina and Lawrence go out to dinner with another couple, Jude and Ramsey, to celebrate Ramsey's birthday. Jude is a children's-book author with whom Irina has collaborated, and Ramsey is a professional snooker (British variation of billiards) player. He's handsome and a little dangerous-seeming, with his Cockney accent and flashy lifestyle. When the book opens, Jude and Ramsey have divorced, and Lawrence has a business trip to Sarajevo in July, so Irina and Ramsey go out to dinner alone. They end up a little tipsy back at his place, and there's a perfect opportunity at Ramsey's basement snooker table for Irina to kiss Ramsey. Does she or doesn't she?
What follows are two Chapter 2's, two Chapter 3's, two Chapter 4's, and so on. Half the book follows the plot as it would unfold if Irina showed restraint and went home without kissing Ramsey. The alternating chapters show us what would happen if she in fact gave in to her impulse. What happens to Lawrence in each case? To their careers? To everyone else?
Shriver does a masterful job of balancing these two parallel stories. Frequently a pair of chapters will have a common scene but with very different outcomes. For instance, in one chapter Irina and Lawrence must uncomfortably avert their glances as another couple goes at it under a blanket in the first-class cabin on a trans-Atlantic flight; in the corresponding chapter, Irina and Ramsey are the couple under the blanket! In one chapter Irina is at a cocktail party with Lawrence's boring colleagues, who do nothing but talk politics; or is she really at a party with Ramsey's good-time snooker cronies, who never once seem to talk about anything important or interesting, like politics? Why doesn't Lawrence want to go out once in a while? Why doesn't Ramsey want to stay home once in a while? And so on. It's great fun, and the writing is wonderful.
Remember the mediocre movie "Sliding Doors"? This book takes the same basic idea but does something wonderful with it. I recommend it heartily.
Next up: The Last of Her Kind
Oh Lionel Shriver, what am I going to do with you?
We Need to Talk About Kevin scared me more than any book ever has, but THIS sounds to interesting to ignore! What's a girl to do?
Posted by: raych | June 19, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Oh...this is sitting on my mantel. I don't know why I haven't read it. It sounds terrific. Love your very British use of the word "wonk."
Posted by: Di | June 20, 2008 at 09:27 AM
Really? I don't think of wonk as a Britishism at all!
Posted by: Karen | June 20, 2008 at 06:19 PM
Based on your two-thumbs up recommendation, I pulled this out of my stack of library books and took it along to the beach. It was a very good read. I loved the way different scenes played out in the twin chapter. I'm hoping my book club will want to give it a try as well!
Posted by: Kathy | August 04, 2008 at 09:40 PM