A Day at the Beach

by Helen Schulman

In an insightful novel that takes place over the course of an eventful twenty-four hours, the troubled marriage of famed choreographer Gerhard Falktopf and his dancer wife Suzannah is profoundly affected by the events of September 11, a national tragedy that suddenly brings to light their hidden desires, dreams, conflicts, and differences.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club

213 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

HELEN SCHULMAN is the New York Times best-selling author of six novels, including Come with Me and This Beautiful Life. Schulman has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts, Sundance, Aspen Words, and Columbia University. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Betsy McTiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I didn't think I would like this. Even though Schulman's writing is beyond the beyonds (no small thing), the characters seemed too neurotic and narcisistic for me to care about. The husband, Gerhard, is an arrogant, marginally successful, experimental choreographer. The wife, Suzannah, is a younger, fearful, former dancer..and Gerhard's muse. After they married, she nagged him into having a child, and that's not working out well. Shaky marriages either recover or come apart when facing a crisis, and their crisis arrives when Gerhard looks out his window on the morning of 9/11 in time to get a close-up of the first plane hitting the North tower. How Gerhard and Suzannah respond for the next 24 hours makes up the story. Happily, Schulman's narrator drew me deeper and deeper into Gerhard's and Suzannah's individual perspectives and histories until I had released my first impression and appreciated their human vulnerability. At the same time, Schulman's choice of details to protray THAT DAY makes it freshly horrifying--even after years of media saturation. Last, but certainly not least, this is a novel about ideas--artistic creation, it's impact on the world, the difficulty of being an artist and having a family, the psychic exhaustion caused by trying to look and feel sucessful without gobs of money to support this illusion. All this in 200 pages. What a writer!

[Noelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Living in NY during 9/11 and the weeks after, I thought that this would interest me. It was recommended by someone doing a 9/11 interview during the 10th anniversary just a few weeks ago.

I don't know if her writing style is what "irked" me or the fact that she just isn't interesting as an author. I realize people get published every day, apparently she has two other novels out there, but this book is a mess.

I made it about halfway through before I decided that it wasn't worth my time (why force yourself toread something that doesn't make you happy?).

Also, she writes alot about being naked and the penis and scrotum of a 2-year old (I shit you not, you can't make this up).

It doesn't really deal all that much with 9/11 and it's hard to care/follow/understand her characters. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

[Skip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's see... Rich white people in the West Village get traumatized by the events of Sept. 11 and run off to the Hamptons...
Yet another tale of terribly self-centered New Yorkers.... As if the world needed another one....

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

With September 11th as the backdrop, this novel immediately sucked me in. And, although I found the relationship between the beautiful but past-her-prime ballerina and her much older, generally pissed-off-at-the-world husband quite engaging, I wanted to know more about them and try to better appreciate their dynamic. The author did a good job of keeping the novel fast-paced throughout this family's 24-hour ordeal but didn't quite get me with a number of relationships that just didn't have a chance to be explored. The ending, however, kept me wondering about the future of their relationship and life together, but I was left feeling a bit let down because the author didn't provide any hints about what that might be. The only thing I found rather distracting in the book was the author's use of flowery language. She didn't need to impress the reader with her large vocabulary- the story would have been just as interesting without it.

[Deb Krill · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened on Sept 11 was a tragedy, to incorporate it into a storyline in a novel would have to be tough, I will give the author this much, however the book was too drawn out in description, who cares how many icecubes were put into the glass? It was a quarter of the way thru the book when you actually came to the plot line, if there really was one? What problems were the family having, the child? the husband, or the wife?? who was doing what? Jumped too much all over the place, and too much description for my taste, with really no plot line? that I could actually figure out.

[Lorna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The self-involved main characters, Suzannah and Gerhard, kept me from getting too caught up in the plot. The occasional stream of consciousness dips into their psyches would have been enjoyable had their streams of consciousness been worth listening in on.

This would have been a better 9/11 book had 9/11 been the actual focus of the novel. Instead, Suzannah and Gerhard's problems (faltering marriage, failed dance company, questionable parenting, etc.) take the forefront, and the events of 9/11 take place in the background, an exacerbation of the problems already present.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a family who lived in a condo overlooking the World Trade Center and how their day unfolded on 9/11. Also an interesting study of a former professional ballerina turned stay-at-home mom.

For the first several pages, I was overly conscious of the writing style rather than immediately becoming absorbed in the story -- the style just seemed too intentional and self-conscious to me -- but once I got past it, it made for a compelling story. A quick read.

[Margo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5. I never became vested in the characters or their problems. While the all too brief description of the actual events of 9/11 gave a feel for the the confusion and distress of the day, it still seemed to lack immediacy. Think we still need to find a different book about 9/11 if we want to continue to explore the impact and ramifications of the day.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a mediocre love story at best, repackaged to be a story about 9/11. If I was in NYC the day of the attacks, I would be offended at the flippant way the days events are squeezed into the narrative of this not very good novel.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book, in the end. Initially, I could not stand the main characters, but they grew on me. I won't include any spoilers, but what a wild ride. The book takes place over twenty. four. hours. Starting the morning of September 11, 2001. In New York City. I mean, you know it's going to be a nail-biter.

Schulman's writing is just exquisite. She is a master wordsmith. Even when I didn't like the characters in the beginning, I was basking in her descriptions of them and their lives. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by her.

[Keara ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the writing style of this book. There were moments where I liked it and found it unique and interesting, and other moments where it felt like too much. The characters in this novel all have some major issues and I definitely think that the sudden shock and tragedy of 9/11 brought out some issues in this family that were buried deep. It wasn’t a terrible read, but wasn’t one of my favorite novellas.

[Birgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Falktopfs, living in close proximity to the WTC on September 11, 2001, are far from perfect. They are somewhat self-absorbed, she a dancer, muse and wife of a famous choreographer almost twice her age who has just lost his own dance company and is, for all we know, "finished," at least in that game. She, Suzannah, has been absorbed lately not with dancing but the well-being of their son Nikolai, an autistic child even though neither parent ever says so, at least not until late in the book when someone asks what is wrong with the child. Schulman does something quite astonishing in her 24-hour-span novel - she imagines how the stress of that day may catapult and heighten the stress that exists in this particular couple, but could be anyone's stress, really. What they witness that morning from their windows sounds both believable and somewhat removed and all the more horrific. The power of single images that stay with you, you realize a nanosecond after, as Suzannah does, only to shield Nikolai's eyes and chastize herself for letting him even catch that one glimpse.
The Falktopfs - because they can - escape to a private estate in the Hamptons before the bridges and tunnels are shut down that morning and indulge in such frivolity as buying elaborately frothy cupcakes at "The Barefoot Contessa." Well, at least Gerhard, the husband, does in his newly found purpose of being a rescuer, an organizer, someone in control. Talk about delusion.
None of it can distract from the private hell they can no longer avoid.
An interesting look at the inner workings of overwrought artists, a marriage hanging by a thread, denial, and all the various excuses we make for our actions. With such a powerful build-up of tension throughout, the ending was not as conclusive as I had anticipated.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Helen Schulman's writing for years, particularly her most recent novels, "The Revisionist" and "P.S." "A Day at the Beach" is another affirmation of her astounding skills as a novelist, particularly in the way she develops unique characters and heightens the plot in each progressing scene, not to mention her skills as a wordsmith. I would hate for anyone to call this another "9/11" novel, as the author embarks on new territory by revealing that day as it affects Gerhard, a former star dancer who recently lost his dance company, his wife Suzannah, a former dancer who has paid a high price for Gerhard's "transgressions," and their autistic son Nikolai, who presents his own challenges. Fleeing New York on that terrible day, the family drives to the Hamptons to escape, only to find different kinds of challenges as the people they run into force them to confont the truth about their own lives. The novel is packed with emotions, and you really feel like you are in the room with these characters. There are incredible descriptions of food, the ocean, the horrible day as it unfolded in news briefs, and the dynamics of a marriage in trouble. My only critique is that the second half of the book is a bit rushed - we are only getting to know the secondary characters who suddenly have a huge impact on the central drama, and the chance reunions on both the husband and wife's side are a bit too much of a coincidence. Otherwise, I highly recommend this terrific novel and all of Helen's other books.

[Stephanie]

It might be interesting for people not in NY for 9/11 to read this sensitively written account of the event, but it felt all too familiar to me, an unnecessary refresher. I was, however, very interested in what kind of shops they have in the Hamptons, how they display the produce, and what the grocery bags are like at Barefoot Contessa. In the novel, which takes place over a day, an unhappy famous German-born choreographer, his unhappy wife/dancer/muse, their autistic son, and a couple other people flee the city for a friend's house in the Hamptons. The author, and the characters, are perfectly aware of their privilege, but I still found it troubling... I needed the decadence to be more problematized and/or its relationship to the events of 9/11 more developed than the sentiment that the old comfortable way of life is over. In fact, the material lives of the characters seem unlikely to change in the least, and their psychic lives, although rearranged, seem just as messed up at the end as at the beginning. I was downright puzzled about whether I was supposed to find it redemptive, at the end, that the completely narcissistic and anal choreographer decided that he loved his family. Does this mean his wife is stuck with him? I was hoping she'd manage to get away.

[Arlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short read about a day that changed the lives of every American...September 11,2001. Gerhard and Suzannah live in NYC...involved in the world of ballet. Suzannah is excited to have finally found a preschool for her son. He is behind other children that are his age and Suzannah hopes school will normalize him. Nikolai's first day of school is September 11. But as the WTC is attacked, Gerhard rushes his family to Bridgehampton for their safety. The day turns out to be momentous for the USA and for this family. I was surprised to find that this book has an autistic child at its center...just like The Bookseller which I finished yesterday. Are autistic children the new "in" thing? As I have said before, I am the grandmother of an autistic child and I hate to see them used as plot movers in books. I gave the book two stars because the opening was so hard to get through...Gerhard is not an easy character to like. But it is worth it to finish the book as the ending is good.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, a day at the beach sounds like fun, laughter, sun, and vacation time. Not in this book. This day in the life of one family shows them fleeing NYC on 9/11 not knowing where we will be attacked next or if they will live through the day. One woman tourist thinks her husband went to the Towers to get breakfast for her so she doesn't if he is even alive. One man was talking to his lawyer on the phone as he was going into Windows of the World for a meeting. It is still fresh enough to be difficult to read about that day, but this book summarizes all the feelings we all had: Terror, disbelief, horror, disgust, fear except that they could see the towers from their bedroom window. It could have been called "up close and personal". A good reminder that our lives can be changed in an instant.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

You spend the first fifty pages of this book waiting for it to happen. And then it finally does and you realize very little of the plot is predicated on the particulars of that date. Schulman strikes a fantastic balance here between focusing on the historical details of that day and the subjective experience of her characters, neither of them ever seem too heavy handed. While the story that unrolls once or twice bumps up against the edges of plausibility, the result is a bittersweet and satisfying exploration of a relationship and an entire culture in the aftermath of a day that none of us are likely to ever forget.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another one I finished with "reader's remorse" - not sure why the author chose to write a book about something with a subject matter that was SO awful, especially for the USA, with such terrible characters - this certainly shows the "worst side of people" in a crisis and while I have never experience something quite this horrific, I do know that for the most part, again in my experience people aren't this selfish/narsissitic.........anyways I got through it and I doubt I will read this author again - just not my thing......she could have spent 300 pages telling a story where there was some good in people, in the end - we know that DEFINITELY happened at 9/11.

[AdultFiction Teton County Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

TCL Call #: F Schulman
Cindy's Rating: 4 stars

This entire novel takes place in the 24 hour aftermath of September 11, 2001. It begins as Suzannah and Gerhard's (the main characters) marriage is already beginning to fracture, but after watching the towers fall with their 6 year old son, you get the sense that this cataclysmic tragedy precipitates their own personal combustion. A very rich emotional read.
As much as I know the facts and political discussions of that day, I am intrigued by the millions of personal stories that were written in the wake of that devastation.
This is a much darker and probing novel than "The Writing on the Wall" by Lynne Sharon Schwartz.

[Mimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a slim novel about one couple's experience in New York on 9/11. They aren't an ordinary couple. He's a choreographer and she's a former ballerina and his muse. They have a son who's somewhere on the autism spectrum. The man is in the midst of handling legal matters after being booted from his own dance company. For whatever reason, this story was just not compelling to me. I may have been swayed by other readers' reviews who found the characters unlikeable. Likeability isn't key to my enjoyment of a book, but this just didn't resonate with me at all. Despite its brevity, it was a slog.

[Wendy Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schulman's writing is impeccable. I gave 4 starts instead of 5 simply because I didn't enjoy becoming immersed in the artist brain. Her focus often touched on something so ephemeral, so difficult to grasp, which is of central importance only to the creator. I totally understand this focus, being a writer myself, but wish that the goal, the resulting work, could also speak to the audience, to the consumer, to the person outside of the artist's head. But wow, Schulman certainly knows how to bring us right into the moment itself, with excruciating details that move seamlessly between beauty and despair. Thank you for this work!

[Sasha]

I don't know if I'm going to finish this one. I'm beginning to realize that I have a lot of trouble reading ficion 9/11 books.
The writing is good, but I can't sympathize with the characters. That would be ok if the narrator knew that the characters were antiheroes, but I think we're intended to really, truly sympathize with these people. Plus, there's there are little inaccuracies that only a someone in the arts in NYC would notice. Do you know struggling choreographers and former dancers in NYC that drive expensive cars and have apartments with huge windows?

[Lori]

really liked the idea of the plot. takes place starting early a.m. of sept 11 in a loft near the towers and follows the couple for 24 hours. they flee the city before the towers fall and go to the hamptons. the problem is that both members of the couple are horrid.. the male is disgusting and completely unlikeable and the woman isn't much better. the writer is also one of those that uses every big word she knows to show off her intelligence however the dialogue just comes off as silly and pretensious

[Celine Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Schulman's prose and was intrigued all through this novel. While I don't think it's as perfect a novel as her more recent This Beautiful Life, but that one is pretty much impossible to top. I greatly admired the shifting points of view and the narrative slant she employs to look at our post-September 11th world. I found the characters both sympathetic and believable - and my only quibble is I'd have loved more about ballet (since the main female character is a ballerina). Very highly recommended.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to 107 pages but doubt I will finish this book....very disappointed.The premise of the book was fascinating and could have been great, but wasn't. The characters were unlikable from the very start and their personal, self-centered angst,in the face of a great tragedy, was completely unbelievable. Several days AFTER the attack on the Twin Towers might have warranted this, but not on the day it happened. Described as "riveting", this book failed to ever come close. Lastly, the author lost all credibility for me when she had pansies blooming in September.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

There really wasn't any substance to this book. I feel like the only parts that were genuine were the descriptions of 9-11; it certainly made me remember what I was doing that day and how I felt and all the horrific images I saw on the news. But the characters were pretty shallow, despite all of the author's long-winded descriptions of their thoughts and her efforts to impress with artsy language and references to ballet and music. For example: would a prima ballerina who worked to keep her body slim and trim all of her life really keep a stash if weed in her purse? I think not.

[Malinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book follows a list of things that I do not usually like in books (or movies), but I still enjoyed this novel. First, the entire book takes place over the span of one day. Second, that day is Sept. 11, which kinda makes this historical fiction. The characters weren't people that I could relate to, but the novel was well written and held my attention for the few hours it took to read.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm, looking at other reviews it appears that this is a "love it or hate it" kind of book. I found it to be a very quick read and thought the characters, while not likeable, were consistent in their flaws and well-developed. The novel, although set against the backdrop of 9/11, was more about 24 hours in the main characters' relationship than about 9/11. I tend to like "24 hours in . . ." books and I liked this one.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this but didn't enjoy it after all. I appreciated the first part, where the Towers fell in the midst of ongoing family angst. However I found the second part, the "day at the beach" too scattered. I know the day itself was not very coherent, but I would have hoped a novelist would offer some structure to the day after the fact. Then again, I was in a rather scattered place myself when I tried to read this - so I finally just gave up.

[Kelly McCloskey-Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the timing and intensity of his book were just perfect. It's weird to immerse oneself in September 11th... I felt transported back to that day. Of course, the characters were very close to what happened. I think it's important, though not pleasant, to remember the horror. The way tha Schulman framed the struggles of one family in the context of the day as genius. And I just happened to read some of it on the beach. :-)