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The Realm of Last Chances
A Washington Post Notable Book
When Kristin Stevens loses her job at a prestigious California university, she and her husband, Cal, relocate to suburban Massachusetts, where Kristin is forced to take a position at a third-tier college. She becomes entangled in the internal politics of academia, while Cal spends his days alone, fixing up their new home. Soon, Kristin finds herself drawn to their younger neighbor, first as platonic confidants bound by a love of literature and then, inevitably, as something more. In The Realm of Last Chances , Steve Yarbrough gives us a richly nuanced portrait of relationships, loneliness, and a marriage, reinvented.
When Kristin Stevens loses her job at a prestigious California university, she and her husband, Cal, relocate to suburban Massachusetts, where Kristin is forced to take a position at a third-tier college. She becomes entangled in the internal politics of academia, while Cal spends his days alone, fixing up their new home. Soon, Kristin finds herself drawn to their younger neighbor, first as platonic confidants bound by a love of literature and then, inevitably, as something more. In The Realm of Last Chances , Steve Yarbrough gives us a richly nuanced portrait of relationships, loneliness, and a marriage, reinvented.
271 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
24 people are currently reading
1023 people want to read
About the author
Steve Yarbrough
36 books94 followersBorn in Indianola, Mississippi, he received his B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Mississippi and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas. Writing largely within the Southern tradition, he draws his themes and characters from Southern history and mores in ways that have been compared to Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and Willie Morris.
Yarbrough's major works include the novels The End of California (2006), Prisoners of War (2004), Visible Spirits (2001) and The Oxygen Man (1999), as well as short story collections such as Family Men (1990), Mississippi History (1994) and Veneer (1998). His latest novel, Safe from the Neighbors, was published by Knopf in 2010.
His honors include the Mississippi Authors Award, the California Book Award, and an award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. His novel, Prisoners of War, was a finalist for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner award. His work has been translated into Dutch, Japanese and Polish and published in the United Kingdom.
A professor of creative writing for many years at California State University, Fresno, Yarbrough recently joined the faculty in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College in Boston.
He is married to the Polish literary translator Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough and they have two daughters, Tosha and Lena. He lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.
Yarbrough's major works include the novels The End of California (2006), Prisoners of War (2004), Visible Spirits (2001) and The Oxygen Man (1999), as well as short story collections such as Family Men (1990), Mississippi History (1994) and Veneer (1998). His latest novel, Safe from the Neighbors, was published by Knopf in 2010.
His honors include the Mississippi Authors Award, the California Book Award, and an award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. His novel, Prisoners of War, was a finalist for the 2005 PEN/Faulkner award. His work has been translated into Dutch, Japanese and Polish and published in the United Kingdom.
A professor of creative writing for many years at California State University, Fresno, Yarbrough recently joined the faculty in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College in Boston.
He is married to the Polish literary translator Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough and they have two daughters, Tosha and Lena. He lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
September 13, 2013
“He felt as if he’d stepped into the realm of last chances, where the ice is thin and apt to break and caution is no currency.” Yarbrough knows how to write a sentence. This is a story of characters who have looked defeat square in the eye, and are now just existing. Each of the main characters survive by isolating themselves, even in their marriage, family, and friendships. Kristin, the main character, has lost a prestigious job at one of the University of California’s schools in northern California. She moves herself and her husband, Cal, to the Boston suburbs to take a job with a third tiered State School. Kristin and Cal’s marriage has become a morose orchestration of solitude. Out of loneliness, Kristin seeks the attention of a new neighbor, Matt, after she discovers his face of failure, and she tries to find a kindred soul. Kristin’s husband, Cal, is isolating himself from new neighbors with alcohol fueled music sessions and home improvement projects. Yarbrough shows how people can do unimaginable things when deep in loneliness. It’s a story of people just going through the motions of their lives, and inexplicably doing damaging things....to themselves. “To her great bafflement, guilt was not an altogether unpleasant sensations; it brought with it a sense of expansion as if you were still who you thought yourself to be as well as someone else you never knew existed”. Steve Yarbrough portrays flawed characters with kindness and understanding. Each of this novels characters are well written, believable, and memorable.
May 2, 2023
“I never stole a book in my life. You never steal what you love”.
“Women in their 70s: not too much else to do anymore other than read”!/?/! > YIKES!!! I relate”. 😉
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s a type of quiet, contemporary, messy, complicated character, driven storytelling I enjoy.
The characters were flawed, but real.
It was my first time reading Steve Yarbrough. I really enjoyed his writing. The details of small town suburban living was like a slice of Apple-Pie-à la mode.
Kristin Stevens and her husband Cal uproot to Massachusetts from California.
Kristin lost her University job only to obtain an administration—less prestigious college job outside of Boston.
As the middle age couple start to drift apart,
Kristin begins an affair with a neighbor named Matt Drinnan.
I thought this book was just wonderful and I’d like to read more books by this author.
As contemporary as this book feels… there was one part where I giggled…
definitely outdated from when it was first published in 2013 (there was a dialogue about California drivers conservative when it comes to stopping at stop signs, and respecting stoplights).
I only wish that was true today. It’s gotten so nasty out on the road. I just hardly ever want to drive anymore.
But wonderful book and forgive me for not staying online long enough to participate fully.
I’ve just been so in the mood to read read read read read read read read—and didn’t want to stop!
Taking a breather now!
I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys character driven with above average great storytelling.
“Women in their 70s: not too much else to do anymore other than read”!/?/! > YIKES!!! I relate”. 😉
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s a type of quiet, contemporary, messy, complicated character, driven storytelling I enjoy.
The characters were flawed, but real.
It was my first time reading Steve Yarbrough. I really enjoyed his writing. The details of small town suburban living was like a slice of Apple-Pie-à la mode.
Kristin Stevens and her husband Cal uproot to Massachusetts from California.
Kristin lost her University job only to obtain an administration—less prestigious college job outside of Boston.
As the middle age couple start to drift apart,
Kristin begins an affair with a neighbor named Matt Drinnan.
I thought this book was just wonderful and I’d like to read more books by this author.
As contemporary as this book feels… there was one part where I giggled…
definitely outdated from when it was first published in 2013 (there was a dialogue about California drivers conservative when it comes to stopping at stop signs, and respecting stoplights).
I only wish that was true today. It’s gotten so nasty out on the road. I just hardly ever want to drive anymore.
But wonderful book and forgive me for not staying online long enough to participate fully.
I’ve just been so in the mood to read read read read read read read read—and didn’t want to stop!
Taking a breather now!
I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys character driven with above average great storytelling.
April 28, 2013
Steve Yarbrough, where have you been all my reading life?
First off, a big thank you to Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman for giving me an ARC of this novel at Booktopia 2013. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Yarbrough and in one of his talks, he mentioned the novelist and short story writer, Richard Yates, who I continue to say is one the greatest overlooked American writers. It was interesting to me, when a Yates novella was mentioned in this book. I gave a quiet cheer.
This is my second Yarbrough novel, in my opinion stands next to two great Richards, Yates and Russo, as a writer who can carefully draw characters and relationships. The feeling for me as a reader is palpable; so palpable on occasion that my stomach is in knots. His books aren’t so much plot-filled as they are character driven; relationships, big and small, are examined with a microscope and you get in each person’s head. I’ve said this about Richard Russo in one of my reviews that if I walked into a cocktail party after reading one of his books, I would know who each person was just based on the novel; you get to know these people inside and out. Yarbrough has that same skill.
Yet, with this book, there was still a little bit of mystery; I felt I didn’t learn everything. This quiet novel doesn’t end with a bang, but a whimper, as do Yates’s novels. Life goes on, as it does for all of us, not with fanfare, but with the routine of everyday life.
I am always amazed when I discover a new author who has a great back list. Yates has several books of short stories and other novels. And I can’t wait to read them all.
First off, a big thank you to Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman for giving me an ARC of this novel at Booktopia 2013. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Yarbrough and in one of his talks, he mentioned the novelist and short story writer, Richard Yates, who I continue to say is one the greatest overlooked American writers. It was interesting to me, when a Yates novella was mentioned in this book. I gave a quiet cheer.
This is my second Yarbrough novel, in my opinion stands next to two great Richards, Yates and Russo, as a writer who can carefully draw characters and relationships. The feeling for me as a reader is palpable; so palpable on occasion that my stomach is in knots. His books aren’t so much plot-filled as they are character driven; relationships, big and small, are examined with a microscope and you get in each person’s head. I’ve said this about Richard Russo in one of my reviews that if I walked into a cocktail party after reading one of his books, I would know who each person was just based on the novel; you get to know these people inside and out. Yarbrough has that same skill.
Yet, with this book, there was still a little bit of mystery; I felt I didn’t learn everything. This quiet novel doesn’t end with a bang, but a whimper, as do Yates’s novels. Life goes on, as it does for all of us, not with fanfare, but with the routine of everyday life.
I am always amazed when I discover a new author who has a great back list. Yates has several books of short stories and other novels. And I can’t wait to read them all.
August 11, 2013
Pardon the length--this review was written for a local paper that did not end up running it:
William Faulkner famously said that he never needed to leave his “postage stamp of native soil” to write first-rate fiction. For Indianola native Steve Yarbrough, the native ground of Mississippi soil has indeed proved fertile, over a span of short story collections and novels that have established him as one of our best writers. But in his latest novel, The Realm of Last Chances, Yarbrough strikes out for territory beyond the South—to the fictional town of Montvale, Massachusetts. In the process, he stretches the parameters of southern fiction.
The Realm of Last Chances opens with the migration of a married couple, Cal and Kristin Stevens, from California to New England. Cal is a handyman carpenter, Kristin a college administrator. Recovering from “a run of bad luck,” they hope to start fresh in their new home. But the pair’s marriage is hardly more settled than their address.
Within a few weeks of relocating, Kristin has started a friendship with Matt Drinnan, a book-lover with a dark past. The friendship soon turns romantic. Cal, locked in a midlife funk of his own and consumed with renovating their new old house, fails to notice.
But if Yarbrough’s Yankee setting—a land of sub shops and bus lines, snowfall and clipped language—is new, it also carries echoes of his past work in southern climes. For Montvale, Massachusetts, despite its Yankee accents, bears a strong resemblance to a southern town. Neighbors know one another; local businesses have been handed down from one generation to the next; friendships and enmities run back for decades; there is gossip. All of which proves to be a toxic mix for Kristin and Matt. As Cal notes while peeling back layers of carpet and linoleum from the floors of his house, “You couldn’t hide anything forever,” and in time his wife’s infidelity becomes clear to him. His reaction to the news becomes the crux of the novel.
What emerges is the portrait of a marriage tested to its breaking point. Cal and Kristin contend with the notion that “sooner or later . . . trust always leads to disappointment.” Whether or not such a cynical conclusion is inevitable, the couple must decide how to proceed out from the ashes of broken trust. The reader is left hoping that we all, as one character tells Kristin in Yarbrough’s characteristically fine dialogue, “add up to much more than the sum of our mistakes, no matter how many we may have made.”
It is on such notes of universal longing and regret that Yarbrough stakes his claim to being much more than a regional writer. The Realm of Last Chances is a fine novel unbound by geography. As Yarbrough writes early in the book, “You’ve got to know where you are to write about it well.” Whether he sets his work in Mississippi or Massachusetts, Yarbrough clearly has his bearings and charts them well. And he shows us that the real territory of his fiction—Yarbrough’s native soil—is not geographical at all, but the unmapped terrain of the heart.
William Faulkner famously said that he never needed to leave his “postage stamp of native soil” to write first-rate fiction. For Indianola native Steve Yarbrough, the native ground of Mississippi soil has indeed proved fertile, over a span of short story collections and novels that have established him as one of our best writers. But in his latest novel, The Realm of Last Chances, Yarbrough strikes out for territory beyond the South—to the fictional town of Montvale, Massachusetts. In the process, he stretches the parameters of southern fiction.
The Realm of Last Chances opens with the migration of a married couple, Cal and Kristin Stevens, from California to New England. Cal is a handyman carpenter, Kristin a college administrator. Recovering from “a run of bad luck,” they hope to start fresh in their new home. But the pair’s marriage is hardly more settled than their address.
Within a few weeks of relocating, Kristin has started a friendship with Matt Drinnan, a book-lover with a dark past. The friendship soon turns romantic. Cal, locked in a midlife funk of his own and consumed with renovating their new old house, fails to notice.
But if Yarbrough’s Yankee setting—a land of sub shops and bus lines, snowfall and clipped language—is new, it also carries echoes of his past work in southern climes. For Montvale, Massachusetts, despite its Yankee accents, bears a strong resemblance to a southern town. Neighbors know one another; local businesses have been handed down from one generation to the next; friendships and enmities run back for decades; there is gossip. All of which proves to be a toxic mix for Kristin and Matt. As Cal notes while peeling back layers of carpet and linoleum from the floors of his house, “You couldn’t hide anything forever,” and in time his wife’s infidelity becomes clear to him. His reaction to the news becomes the crux of the novel.
What emerges is the portrait of a marriage tested to its breaking point. Cal and Kristin contend with the notion that “sooner or later . . . trust always leads to disappointment.” Whether or not such a cynical conclusion is inevitable, the couple must decide how to proceed out from the ashes of broken trust. The reader is left hoping that we all, as one character tells Kristin in Yarbrough’s characteristically fine dialogue, “add up to much more than the sum of our mistakes, no matter how many we may have made.”
It is on such notes of universal longing and regret that Yarbrough stakes his claim to being much more than a regional writer. The Realm of Last Chances is a fine novel unbound by geography. As Yarbrough writes early in the book, “You’ve got to know where you are to write about it well.” Whether he sets his work in Mississippi or Massachusetts, Yarbrough clearly has his bearings and charts them well. And he shows us that the real territory of his fiction—Yarbrough’s native soil—is not geographical at all, but the unmapped terrain of the heart.
April 15, 2013
My third Steve Yarbrough. I will read whatever this man writes because he has done no wrong thus far. This one was not set in the south as the other two I read, but in Massachusetts. The story of a middle aged couple who move across the country. Themes of faithfulness, identity, academia, music, friendship, home and more. There isn't a sentence that doesn't ring true. I was delighted to meet the author the day after I finished his book.
Next up:
Veneer (short stories)
Next up:
Veneer (short stories)
April 17, 2013
Once again Steve Yarbrough has taken ordinary people with ordinary lives and given us an extraordinary story. Without a hero, without a mystery, and without any intricate plot the reader is drawn all the way inside the lives and minds of Cal and Kristen. I don't know how he does it! The gorgeous prose helps. I found myself wanting to underline or highlight passages, something I haven't done since first reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.
November 6, 2013
Some books wow you with suspense, incendiary violence or action, or tales of magic and fantasy. Some books pack the same power in a much quieter way, nearly sneaking up on you, until you realize they've knocked you for a loop, whether because of the beauty of the language used, the characters, or the authors' storytelling ability. Steve Yarbrough's latest novel, The Realm of Last Chances, definitely falls into the latter category, but that doesn't change the fact that it hooked me completely and really moved me.
Cal and Kristin Stevens are forced to leave their longtime California home and move across the country, after Kristin loses her job as a university administrator and finds a position at a lesser state school in Massachusetts. The move takes a toll on both of them in more ways than simply having to acclimate themselves to cold weather and more outgoing people. Both in their early fifties, they live quiet but mostly separate lives—Kristin finds herself embroiled in the day-to-day political issues of her job, while Cal, whose taciturn manner belies deep-rooted regret and anger, spends his days restoring their home and playing guitar and mandolin, which he excels at but really only enjoys when he is alone.
"The notes not played, he always believed, were at least as important as the ones you did play, and the same was true with words: some things didn't need to be said, but sometimes she couldn't stop saying them."
Matt Drinnan, an aspiring author forced to start his life over after some mistakes completely derailed his job and his marriage, spends his days trying to fill the emptiness, while dealing with the fact that his ex-wife is involved in a new long-term relationship with another man in his hometown. Filled with regret and what-ifs, he attempts to figure out what is next for him.
As Matt and Kristin move toward each other, they are first simply grateful for the opportunity to speak honestly and openly, to finally find a friend and confidante. But as their relationship intensifies, they find themselves stepping into territory that has many potentially negative consequences for both of them, professionally and personally, as well as Cal. And as Kristin deals with a brewing scandal at work and Cal confronts his reactions following an incident of violence, all three must take stock of what the future holds.
I'd only read Yarbrough's short stories before, but I understand that the majority of his novels take place in the South, and The Realm of Last Chances is a departure for him, as it takes place in New England. But while the weather and the culture shock that Cal and Kristin experience in their move play a factor in the book, the story is so moving and so well-told, it could take place anywhere. These aren't easy characters to love—each has secrets they keep from others, and they often choose not to say the things so in need of being said.
Yarbrough is a fantastic writer. His language and dialogue are so poetic, and although I had suspicions about how the plot would resolve itself, I still wanted to read to the very last word, and was said when I was finished. I'm definitely going to read his earlier books, but trust me—this one is a winner.
Cal and Kristin Stevens are forced to leave their longtime California home and move across the country, after Kristin loses her job as a university administrator and finds a position at a lesser state school in Massachusetts. The move takes a toll on both of them in more ways than simply having to acclimate themselves to cold weather and more outgoing people. Both in their early fifties, they live quiet but mostly separate lives—Kristin finds herself embroiled in the day-to-day political issues of her job, while Cal, whose taciturn manner belies deep-rooted regret and anger, spends his days restoring their home and playing guitar and mandolin, which he excels at but really only enjoys when he is alone.
"The notes not played, he always believed, were at least as important as the ones you did play, and the same was true with words: some things didn't need to be said, but sometimes she couldn't stop saying them."
Matt Drinnan, an aspiring author forced to start his life over after some mistakes completely derailed his job and his marriage, spends his days trying to fill the emptiness, while dealing with the fact that his ex-wife is involved in a new long-term relationship with another man in his hometown. Filled with regret and what-ifs, he attempts to figure out what is next for him.
As Matt and Kristin move toward each other, they are first simply grateful for the opportunity to speak honestly and openly, to finally find a friend and confidante. But as their relationship intensifies, they find themselves stepping into territory that has many potentially negative consequences for both of them, professionally and personally, as well as Cal. And as Kristin deals with a brewing scandal at work and Cal confronts his reactions following an incident of violence, all three must take stock of what the future holds.
I'd only read Yarbrough's short stories before, but I understand that the majority of his novels take place in the South, and The Realm of Last Chances is a departure for him, as it takes place in New England. But while the weather and the culture shock that Cal and Kristin experience in their move play a factor in the book, the story is so moving and so well-told, it could take place anywhere. These aren't easy characters to love—each has secrets they keep from others, and they often choose not to say the things so in need of being said.
Yarbrough is a fantastic writer. His language and dialogue are so poetic, and although I had suspicions about how the plot would resolve itself, I still wanted to read to the very last word, and was said when I was finished. I'm definitely going to read his earlier books, but trust me—this one is a winner.
February 24, 2014
Oh dear. Where do I start with this one? I received a copy from the editor and felt that I had to finish this, otherwise I would've put it down a long time ago. This novel was painful. I dreaded picking it up and reading it.
The characters are boring. The storyline is boring and wanders aimlessly throughout the book. Very often while reading this I got the feeling that the author just came up with things to add into the book and was winging it as he went. Hey let's add a robbery and make Cal the guy who beats up other people. For our next trick we'll have Kristin's coworkers be plagiarizers. What was the point of THAT? That contributed nothing to the main story line.
So the basis- Cal and Kristin are married they move across country for Kristin's job. Cal does nothing with his life, nothing. He plays instruments but don't go calling him a musician. He is a fixer upper but tends to not finish what he starts. He does nothing but roam around the house aimlessly. He is not social at all and avoids his neighbors. Then one day he is at a store that is getting robbed and his neighbor is there. Cal attacks the robber and almost beats him to death. Now he is friends with this neighbor...so friendly in fact they go there for Thanksgiving. He is giving his neighbors friend music lessons and confesses his deep dark *read: boring* secrets to his neighbors friend wife. Got that? Interested? No I didn't think so.
Kristin is the one who cheats. She is a big wig at the local college. Yes she is married to a man who does nothing and cheating on him with Matt an ex-con who works at a sandwich shop. You couldn't make this stuff up, why does the author try? None of this stuff is believable. They just so happen to get it on at an abandon house right on their block that Matt has a key to (of course he does!) Her husband finds out about the affair when..get this-it's Thanksgiving and Kristin goes home to let the dog out and calls Matt and says "I love you" on his voice mail and Cal, being next door with his new best buddy, sees her in the window mouthing the words. For REAL? I'm buying this?? Then Cal dumps Matt's car in a pond. I feel like an idiot even repeating this story line because it's SO FAR FETCHED!
I wish I liked this book more because I got a free copy of it and feel like I owe it to the universe to love it because it was given to me. I'm sorry I didn't. The synopsis wasn't one that grabbed me but I thought maybe reading the actual book might. It was worse than I expected.
I was floored to read some reviewers who gave this book 5 stars. Were we reading the same book?
The characters are boring. The storyline is boring and wanders aimlessly throughout the book. Very often while reading this I got the feeling that the author just came up with things to add into the book and was winging it as he went. Hey let's add a robbery and make Cal the guy who beats up other people. For our next trick we'll have Kristin's coworkers be plagiarizers. What was the point of THAT? That contributed nothing to the main story line.
So the basis- Cal and Kristin are married they move across country for Kristin's job. Cal does nothing with his life, nothing. He plays instruments but don't go calling him a musician. He is a fixer upper but tends to not finish what he starts. He does nothing but roam around the house aimlessly. He is not social at all and avoids his neighbors. Then one day he is at a store that is getting robbed and his neighbor is there. Cal attacks the robber and almost beats him to death. Now he is friends with this neighbor...so friendly in fact they go there for Thanksgiving. He is giving his neighbors friend music lessons and confesses his deep dark *read: boring* secrets to his neighbors friend wife. Got that? Interested? No I didn't think so.
Kristin is the one who cheats. She is a big wig at the local college. Yes she is married to a man who does nothing and cheating on him with Matt an ex-con who works at a sandwich shop. You couldn't make this stuff up, why does the author try? None of this stuff is believable. They just so happen to get it on at an abandon house right on their block that Matt has a key to (of course he does!) Her husband finds out about the affair when..get this-it's Thanksgiving and Kristin goes home to let the dog out and calls Matt and says "I love you" on his voice mail and Cal, being next door with his new best buddy, sees her in the window mouthing the words. For REAL? I'm buying this?? Then Cal dumps Matt's car in a pond. I feel like an idiot even repeating this story line because it's SO FAR FETCHED!
I wish I liked this book more because I got a free copy of it and feel like I owe it to the universe to love it because it was given to me. I'm sorry I didn't. The synopsis wasn't one that grabbed me but I thought maybe reading the actual book might. It was worse than I expected.
I was floored to read some reviewers who gave this book 5 stars. Were we reading the same book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2013
This book is devoid of emotion. Which is sort of the point, so in theory, the author should be getting much higher marks from me for so deftly expressing a theme of this book in a way that made me internalize that emotion. But, without emotion coming from the characters, the book fell flat for me.
The story of Cal and Kristin Stevens, who must move cross-country for Kristin's job. They've been married for a while, and are in their early 50s. Yet, it's clear there's a restlessness about both of them. Neither is shown to demonstrate great care for the other, it's as though they're going through the motions of marriage. And of course, when a relationship hits this milestone, restlessness can often lead to poor decisions.
My problem with this book is that I couldn't quite get into the characters. They -- and the plot -- seemed to wander aimlessly. I understood the overarching theme that was driving Kristin's decision to take up with another man, but because the characters were so flat, her dissatisfaction in her marriage was never fully spelled out. The reader could see Cal wasn't a model husband, but I didn't quite know why. It's almost as if the lack of explanation was meant to BE the explanation. Which I get, but I longed for a bit more back-story, a bit more strife. There were allusions of "more to the story", but that's all. The turning point was never fully explained. The novel is told from several points of view, so there was certainly room for more inner monologue that delved into the deeper layers of this marriage and could have made the book a much richer experience.
The story of Cal and Kristin Stevens, who must move cross-country for Kristin's job. They've been married for a while, and are in their early 50s. Yet, it's clear there's a restlessness about both of them. Neither is shown to demonstrate great care for the other, it's as though they're going through the motions of marriage. And of course, when a relationship hits this milestone, restlessness can often lead to poor decisions.
My problem with this book is that I couldn't quite get into the characters. They -- and the plot -- seemed to wander aimlessly. I understood the overarching theme that was driving Kristin's decision to take up with another man, but because the characters were so flat, her dissatisfaction in her marriage was never fully spelled out. The reader could see Cal wasn't a model husband, but I didn't quite know why. It's almost as if the lack of explanation was meant to BE the explanation. Which I get, but I longed for a bit more back-story, a bit more strife. There were allusions of "more to the story", but that's all. The turning point was never fully explained. The novel is told from several points of view, so there was certainly room for more inner monologue that delved into the deeper layers of this marriage and could have made the book a much richer experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2022
Kristen and Cal move to Massachusetts after her job is eliminated as an administrator for a college in California. Cal takes care of the hosue and plays music though he does not consider himself a musician. The two slowly develop relationships with people they meet in their new homes. Most of the people in this book seem to have secrets. When will they spill out?
February 1, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, my second by Steve Yarbrough in about a week. I think I enjoyed Safe from the Neighbors more, possibly because I'm also from the South and it all so seemed so familiar. He really does great characters and I look forward to reading everything on his backlist. Can't wait to meet him next week!
February 23, 2014
4.5 stars. very good insights into a troubled marriage.. people's pasts, dealing with personal relations at work - the line between the professional and personal and friendship between men. Loved it.
March 5, 2014
The Realm of Last Chances is about Kristen and Cal Stevens, a married couple who moves from the Central Valley of California to Boston after Kristen is laid off from her college administration job in California. She finds another job at a third-tier college outside Boston, and the two start their lives over again on the East Coast. However, it turns out only to be a fresh start geographically. The couple, who had been growing apart in California, find themselves even more distant from each other in their new home. Cal, who was a handyman in California, spends his days playing stringed instruments and fixing up their new house. Kristen finds herself embroiled in new but familiar challenges facing college administrators, such as professor plagiarism and tenure negotiations. As the book progresses, we also learn about the skeletons in Kristen and Cal’s closets – failed marriages, broken homes, violence – and how they shaped the main characters.
Matt Drinnan, the Stevens’ neighbor and a man with his own troubled past, meets the couple shortly after their arrival in Massachusetts. Ultimately his relationship with Kristen drives her and Cal further apart, as he seeks his own reinvention and redemption for his own transgressions.
The good: I liked the glimpse The Realm of Last Chances gave into these unusual characters’ lives. I feel like I read so many books about urban thirtysomething parents, and it was refreshing to explore the lives of these struggling middle-aged suburbanites. Yarbrough’s writing is crisp and descriptive. There are themes throughout the book – infidelity, forgiveness, and how well we really know our partners – that I thought Yarbrough skillfully weaved among multiple characters and contexts.
However, I don’t think I really got this book. I found a lot of it implausible – how could Kristin and Cal have been so incurious about each other’s pasts? do people really ask relative strangers to hold them? can one really read lips looking through a window between homes? – and much of the rest of it was either too convenient or just kind of boring. I got to the end of the book, which felt slapped on and too tidy, and wondered what the point was. I didn’t feel very optimistic about these characters’ futures – they just kind of limped off into the sunset.
I enjoyed the beginning of The Realm of Last Chances more than the end. Kristin and Cal’s disorientation upon arriving across the country, her introduction to her new job – those were compelling. As the story progressed, however, it sort of lost me. The plagiarism storyline didn’t make much sense to me – how was Kristin to blame for how the story came to light? – and the grand reveal about Cal’s violent past seemed inopportune.
Goodreads abounds with very positive reviews of The Realm of Last Chances, so there are clearly many fans of this book out there.
Matt Drinnan, the Stevens’ neighbor and a man with his own troubled past, meets the couple shortly after their arrival in Massachusetts. Ultimately his relationship with Kristen drives her and Cal further apart, as he seeks his own reinvention and redemption for his own transgressions.
The good: I liked the glimpse The Realm of Last Chances gave into these unusual characters’ lives. I feel like I read so many books about urban thirtysomething parents, and it was refreshing to explore the lives of these struggling middle-aged suburbanites. Yarbrough’s writing is crisp and descriptive. There are themes throughout the book – infidelity, forgiveness, and how well we really know our partners – that I thought Yarbrough skillfully weaved among multiple characters and contexts.
However, I don’t think I really got this book. I found a lot of it implausible – how could Kristin and Cal have been so incurious about each other’s pasts? do people really ask relative strangers to hold them? can one really read lips looking through a window between homes? – and much of the rest of it was either too convenient or just kind of boring. I got to the end of the book, which felt slapped on and too tidy, and wondered what the point was. I didn’t feel very optimistic about these characters’ futures – they just kind of limped off into the sunset.
I enjoyed the beginning of The Realm of Last Chances more than the end. Kristin and Cal’s disorientation upon arriving across the country, her introduction to her new job – those were compelling. As the story progressed, however, it sort of lost me. The plagiarism storyline didn’t make much sense to me – how was Kristin to blame for how the story came to light? – and the grand reveal about Cal’s violent past seemed inopportune.
Goodreads abounds with very positive reviews of The Realm of Last Chances, so there are clearly many fans of this book out there.
July 29, 2017
Are there any “literary” novels that aren’t grim and depressing? If so, I haven’t found any yet. My takeaway from this one is that
In spite of these flaws, this is a well-written story with interesting characters and plot.
Hardcover, purchased from Half Price Books on the recommendation of the now-defunct podcast Books On The Nightstand.
Previous Updates:
7/22 – 27/288pg
Lately, he felt insubstantial, weightless, as if he were merely the idea of a person rather than the real thing. People weren't just a past or a present or a set of extinguished expectations. They had to have a future, too, and for himself he failed to see one. He felt as if he could readily be brushed off, as if right now, should he choose to, Nowicki could swat him aside as if he were no more momentous than a fly or a gnat.
7/24 – 82/288pg
So this guy is
I hope I'm not expected to find him either likable or sympathetic, but he's clearly one of the story's protagonists. I believe I'll be cheering for him to experience more misery and loss, regardless.
7/25 – 96/288pg
Nope, still no empathy. But have to credit the author with really vivid character creation, even the most minor of them. Although I think as each character is introduced, we are learning more about whichever of the three main characters that is interacting with them. They sure are a judgmental bunch of assholes.
7/28 – 199/288pg
Now she was lying in bed, in a musty room where the accumulated dust of the coverlet made her sneeze each time she crawled under it, and a man who could have gone to jail for embezzlement was asking her if she could possibly overlook academic mischief.
In spite of these flaws, this is a well-written story with interesting characters and plot.
Hardcover, purchased from Half Price Books on the recommendation of the now-defunct podcast Books On The Nightstand.
Previous Updates:
7/22 – 27/288pg
Lately, he felt insubstantial, weightless, as if he were merely the idea of a person rather than the real thing. People weren't just a past or a present or a set of extinguished expectations. They had to have a future, too, and for himself he failed to see one. He felt as if he could readily be brushed off, as if right now, should he choose to, Nowicki could swat him aside as if he were no more momentous than a fly or a gnat.
7/24 – 82/288pg
So this guy is
I hope I'm not expected to find him either likable or sympathetic, but he's clearly one of the story's protagonists. I believe I'll be cheering for him to experience more misery and loss, regardless.
7/25 – 96/288pg
Nope, still no empathy. But have to credit the author with really vivid character creation, even the most minor of them. Although I think as each character is introduced, we are learning more about whichever of the three main characters that is interacting with them. They sure are a judgmental bunch of assholes.
7/28 – 199/288pg
Now she was lying in bed, in a musty room where the accumulated dust of the coverlet made her sneeze each time she crawled under it, and a man who could have gone to jail for embezzlement was asking her if she could possibly overlook academic mischief.
July 7, 2024
Evidently I must really like novels about ordinary people and their ordinary and sometimes the not so ordinary happenings in their lives. Really enjoyed this book which has a lot about marriage.
September 8, 2013
Oh MY, I almost gave it a 5. 4.5 stars on this one and I am a super hard grader on the modern adult current era group or best sellers category.
This is a review that I could go on and on about for 20 paragraphs, as I held a job quite similar to Kristen's for my last 15 years in the work world. So give this author extra credit for getting the Academe tenure, politico, and schmoozing worlds superbly perfect.
And I will NOT go on for 20 paragraphs because the real people and connection relationships and marriage story- all of it- read it yourself. How 50 is now? Quite often in shifting times and within quicksand loyalties, growth does occur. Or resignation. Or combinations of both. But real people! Steve Yarbrough knows long term human connections. And various things about continuity, as well.
And I also think he is plugged into the over 60 perception to our own culture and American style to a T. Wise man.
This is a review that I could go on and on about for 20 paragraphs, as I held a job quite similar to Kristen's for my last 15 years in the work world. So give this author extra credit for getting the Academe tenure, politico, and schmoozing worlds superbly perfect.
And I will NOT go on for 20 paragraphs because the real people and connection relationships and marriage story- all of it- read it yourself. How 50 is now? Quite often in shifting times and within quicksand loyalties, growth does occur. Or resignation. Or combinations of both. But real people! Steve Yarbrough knows long term human connections. And various things about continuity, as well.
And I also think he is plugged into the over 60 perception to our own culture and American style to a T. Wise man.
November 14, 2017
For so much time spent on character development, it's a shame I couldn't find one to hold on to. A general feeling of life apathetic.
March 6, 2019
Got this because of a few rave book reviews and he's a multiple prize winner, but I found it a slog. Normally the subject matter would be of interest, but I could care less about the unsympathetic characters and each chapter was immediately forgettable.
January 4, 2019
A solid novel with strong, unshowy writing. As someone who currently lives in Boston, it was fun to read a novel set in Boston/Greater Boston. Yarbrough passes among myriad third-person narrators, employing at times a successful use of flash forward/"what if" that points at the true omniscient nature of his narration. I was underwhelmed by the main subplot (violations of academic integrity at Kristin's new college) as well as the reveal of Cal's past violence, which more or less is the closing note of the book (and the opening, sorta, since we learn early that he's changed his name). Still, a solid novel, as I said, with a lot to be gleaned in terms of craft and technique (I say this also as one of his students). I will be reading more from this author.
September 16, 2013
This book about a marriage nearing its possible end felt flat to me. A college administrator, Kristin, and her hulking, anti-social husband, Cal, move to Massachusetts from California. She as a new job at a rather podunk college. Her husband remodels their house, drinks a lot and plays his stringed instruments alone in the attic. They are very disconnected and it comes as no surprise to us when Kristin is swept up into an affair with a neighbor. A case of plagiarism at the college also figures in the plot. Meanwhile, Cal manages to make a few friends after playing hero in a convenience store burglary. Can this marriage be saved? I was not sure I cared, but I managed to finish the book.
April 13, 2014
i wanted to know what it's like for older people to be in love, and unfortunately this book confirmed many of my suspicions. i didn't love how flashback heavy this book was, and how you don't know you're in a flashback until you're back to the present. it just seemed to jump around a lot. i kept waiting for the big moment to happen, and it never did. the ending fizzled and there was no real resolve. overall, something to do if you're really bored, but otherwise you can walk right past it.
May 29, 2014
Disappointing. For a novel about an extramarital affair, it sure is dull. Other writers, Richard Russo comes to mind, have a way of celebrating ordinary people by making them interesting and likeable. That wasn't the case with this Yarbrough novel, at least not for me. I might give other novels by him a try, but this one just didn't work for me.
July 1, 2019
Just finished reading my third book by Yarborough and he doesn’t disappoint. His stories are always populated with characters who have deep, rich backstories, and plots that test what they’re made of. Always a pleasure to read his novels. Looking forward to reading The Unmade World.
January 8, 2014
I couldn't finish it. I didn't care for the characters. I found them weak and boring.
September 2, 2020
Storia ben costruita, fatta di personaggi carichi di umanità e in grado di dare la possibilità (forse l'ultima) di sentirsi fragili assieme a loro.
December 13, 2016
I read this book because a professor I know at my Alma Mater considers Yarbrough one of her examples of great writing. I found it a thoughtful story about middle-aged marriage, and since I used to live in Boston, I really liked the descriptions of the locale and nodded uh-huh at the train stops, roads, streets. That was fun. I did find Cal and Kristin engaging, but not too much. There was a coldness to the story. I felt that I wanted more, and to be honest, I couldn't finish the last eighty pages, although I did skip to the final two chapters. I didn't feel much passion, and Matt was a bit of a cypher for me. I think Updike does the adultery thing better. But Yarbrough has a great power of description and words. He has strong phrases and settings, and very well-constructed sentences. The robbery was a high point and yet it seemed cold, and I thought going into a long discussion of the robber a distraction. I did like Cal and his life, and Yarbrough made him rounded. Although I'm not into academic politics, he described Kristin's world very well, and I got a feel for the surroundings of Cal and Kristin's world. Yarbrough also does the pauses and hesitations of marriage very well. I wish there had been more passion, more for me to keep turning pages, but this was a well-written work.
December 18, 2022
While this book kept my attention, once it was over I found that I didn't particularly like the characters, and the ending fell flat for me. The attraction between Kristin and Matt never seemed believable. Kristin seemed to have disdain for Matt and they're getting together didn't make sense. Being just a bit older than Kristin I did understand her concern about nothing interesting happening to her, but being engaged in life is where that comes from, not really the drama of an affair. I found Cal more and more horrifying as the book went on. His violent nature that slowly gets revealed seemed just creepy to me. It was weird that it wasn't until the book ended that I felt truly turned off by the whole story. I give the book two stars (instead of one) because the writing itself was well done. Very disappointing.
April 23, 2023
While this book kept my attention, once it was over I found that I didn't particularly like the characters, and the ending fell flat for me. The attraction between Kristin and Matt never seemed believable. Kristin seemed to have disdain for Matt and they're getting together didn't make sense. Being just a bit older than Kristin I did understand her concern about nothing interesting happening to her, but being engaged in life is where that comes from, not really the drama of an affair. I found Cal more and more horrifying as the book went on. His violent nature that slowly gets revealed seemed just creepy to me. It was weird that it wasn't until the book ended that I felt truly turned off by the whole story. I give the book two stars (instead of one) because the writing itself was well done. Very disappointing.
August 23, 2021
It's been a while since I encountered an author such as Steve Yarbrough. "The Realm of Last Chances" was compelling from beginning to end, and I am eagerly anticipating the next book of his I ordered. Finely drawn characters and descriptions of the Massachusetts town in which the story is set are just some of the elements of this novel. It's a familiar tale made unique: a middle-aged couple, laid off in the Great Recession, make the trek from California to Massachusetts to accept mediocre jobs. The rest I leave to you to discover. A phenomenal piece of writing that pulls you in and won't let you go. Days later, I am still recalling entire sentences that struck so hard, they are a permanent memory. Don't miss it!
February 20, 2017
Here’s another book that I liked and I don’t know why. Something about the structure worked well for me. It felt like the book was made up of slices and I only had a vague sense of the timeline, and I liked that. Time is told through New England weather and I wonder if readers from places where there are no seasons got stuck trying to figure out how long this story lasted.
The plot is one of frustration. Kristen and Cal have relocated from California to Massachusetts. They’re in their fifties and this was not an expected move, but Kristen lost her job in higher ed administration, and you move to where the next job is, even when it’s a step down. I don’t think Cal has a job. He exists.
This was one of the things I liked about this book. Kristen never defines or explains her second marriage. We know when her first marriage ended, it was a complete shock and even looking back decades later, she doesn’t see any warning signs of what was coming. With Cal, it’s simpler. They ask for what they need. If there is silence, it’s because no one wants anything. Cal detests Kristen’s work and academic life, but rather than punish her, he simply waits to see if she will want to talk about things. Kristen seems to like this freedom within her marriage, although there are times when she wonders what it would be like to love something as much as Cal loves music.
It was fascinating to watch them together because they seemed completely separate, and yet others saw their partnership. Perhaps neither one could see it until someone outside showed them.
Kristen finds herself frustrated and lonely in her new world. Cal has music and is remodeling and fixing their new house. Kristen has her work, but there’s little comfort there as she tries to adjust to a small Massachusetts college.
A flooded basement leads her to a new friendship with a younger neighbor. Matt is also alone, even among his friends. His choices led to losing his job, marriage and kids, and so he keeps to himself and is on pause. He knows he can’t go back, so he doesn’t bother to move forward.
Kristen is the first person he’s met who both needs him and is entirely self-sufficient. Their friendship brings comfort and then an affair. Kristen logically examines the end of her marriage while we see a few slices of Cal’s story and reactions.
What I liked the most about this book is that we never get the full story of Cal and Kristen. There is a huge reveal about Cal that was fascinating. There was a earlier reveal, but it’s old news when we find out about it, so it sits in the background until we learn the other story. I was impressed at how Yarbrough constructed Cal’s personality. He’s filled with music and disgust. We see his depression and action. He seems completely still and I wondered how much of his life he had lived letting things happen to him. I wanted to know how he and Kristen chose each other, and yet it didn’t matter.
There is extreme violence in this story, and yet the book felt calm and slow, and I can’t figure out how or why. Yarbrough laid out a clear path for his characters and then took his time following it. There are a few flashbacks and side steps, but it moves forward and the ending makes sense. If I had read this when I was younger, I don’t think I would have liked the ending at all. It works for me now because it’s realistic and shows that life simply is sometimes.
Does The Dog Die Spoiler:
There is a dog. Nothing bad happens to the dog. Hooray!
The plot is one of frustration. Kristen and Cal have relocated from California to Massachusetts. They’re in their fifties and this was not an expected move, but Kristen lost her job in higher ed administration, and you move to where the next job is, even when it’s a step down. I don’t think Cal has a job. He exists.
This was one of the things I liked about this book. Kristen never defines or explains her second marriage. We know when her first marriage ended, it was a complete shock and even looking back decades later, she doesn’t see any warning signs of what was coming. With Cal, it’s simpler. They ask for what they need. If there is silence, it’s because no one wants anything. Cal detests Kristen’s work and academic life, but rather than punish her, he simply waits to see if she will want to talk about things. Kristen seems to like this freedom within her marriage, although there are times when she wonders what it would be like to love something as much as Cal loves music.
It was fascinating to watch them together because they seemed completely separate, and yet others saw their partnership. Perhaps neither one could see it until someone outside showed them.
Kristen finds herself frustrated and lonely in her new world. Cal has music and is remodeling and fixing their new house. Kristen has her work, but there’s little comfort there as she tries to adjust to a small Massachusetts college.
A flooded basement leads her to a new friendship with a younger neighbor. Matt is also alone, even among his friends. His choices led to losing his job, marriage and kids, and so he keeps to himself and is on pause. He knows he can’t go back, so he doesn’t bother to move forward.
Kristen is the first person he’s met who both needs him and is entirely self-sufficient. Their friendship brings comfort and then an affair. Kristen logically examines the end of her marriage while we see a few slices of Cal’s story and reactions.
What I liked the most about this book is that we never get the full story of Cal and Kristen. There is a huge reveal about Cal that was fascinating. There was a earlier reveal, but it’s old news when we find out about it, so it sits in the background until we learn the other story. I was impressed at how Yarbrough constructed Cal’s personality. He’s filled with music and disgust. We see his depression and action. He seems completely still and I wondered how much of his life he had lived letting things happen to him. I wanted to know how he and Kristen chose each other, and yet it didn’t matter.
There is extreme violence in this story, and yet the book felt calm and slow, and I can’t figure out how or why. Yarbrough laid out a clear path for his characters and then took his time following it. There are a few flashbacks and side steps, but it moves forward and the ending makes sense. If I had read this when I was younger, I don’t think I would have liked the ending at all. It works for me now because it’s realistic and shows that life simply is sometimes.
Does The Dog Die Spoiler:
There is a dog. Nothing bad happens to the dog. Hooray!
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