The Rest of Us

by Jessica Lott

A gorgeous literary debut about second chances, New England Book Festival prize winner The Rest of Us is an indelible love story that explores the legacy of an affair between a young student and her older professor.

As a college student, Terry fell madly and destructively in love with Rhinehart, her famous poetry professor—a relationship from which she never fully recovered. Now, fifteen years later, she is single, still living in the New York City walk-up she moved into after college, and languishing as a photographer’s assistant, having long since abandoned her own art. When she stumbles on Rhinehart’s obituary online, complete with litany of his many accomplishments, she finds herself taking stock of the ways she has not lived up to her youthful expectations—and surprisingly distraught at the thought of never seeing him again.

And then, a few weeks later, she bumps into Rhinehart very much alive, married, and Christmas shopping at Bloomingdale’s. What ensues is an intense and beautiful friendship, an unexpected second act that inspires Terry to come to terms with the consequences of their past and the depth of her own aspirations—and to begin to grow again, as an artist and a woman.

A captivating read to the last page, The Rest of Us explores those nagging questions that haunt us when we think of who we are, and who we might have been—a love letter to New York City and the struggles of its artists, and a sharp and stirring novel of the heart from a “promising new voice in fiction” ( The Daily Beast ).

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Literary Fiction, Novels, Chick Lit

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Jessica Lott is the author of the novel THE REST OF US (2013), now out in paperback from Simon & Schuster. THE REST OF US, winner of the 2013 Fiction Prize at the New England Book Festival, garnered rave reviews from NPR "Fresh Air," Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Daily Beast, and elsewhere. Jessica is also the author of OSIN, winner of the 2006 Novella Award from Low Fidelity Press. Her essays and art reviews have been published in The New York Times; PBS:Art21, where she writes a monthly column "Alchemy of Inspiration"; and Frieze, London, where she won the Art Writer’s Prize. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University and an MA in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She lives in New York.

Reviews

[megan-redwitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

for me this book actually isn't about a professor-student relationship or the city of new york, it is about memory and how you relate to others. it is a soft-spot for me when it comes to literature because my own creative process centers on memory. the prose is also meaningful, and has a quality i cannot quiet place - it is sweet and descriptive without tipping into verbose and over done.

that said this book is heady, it has slow burning start and thick prose. this book is not for someone who just wants to barrel through plot. the whole point is to consider the people and situations, and how they connect and pull away from each other. and how a relationship can be something over time, not just at one moment, and how that can transform it / bring it to where it was meant to be. there are also touches of abandonment and the feeling of how you can loss or find yourself in someone else, and what that means for your own psyche.

the world of publishing, academia, art, and new york, was a well done portrayal and backdrop for the story - especially if you know the area, but as i said before i don't think the crucial part to the book. for me it was a well polished and appropriate atmosphere for what the author wanted to do w. the characters.

the characters themselves are not always likable, but you find yourself mixing w. them in a way i think that brings your closer to how you process things yourself. how do we know someone? how does our past infect our present? what happens when that shifts? how does memory function in our lives? you may not find yourself indentifying w. them, depending upon the person you are, but this is their story - you are just the onlooker here.

so overall readers i would tell you to read this book if you like to think, if you like to be a little nostalgic, and if you don't mind questioning what has happened in the past - and working out how that might effect your present or future.

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard about Jessica Lott's debut novel, The Rest of Us, on NPR. It appealed to me because the two main characters, a budding photographer and a well-respected poet, were entangled in what I hoped would be a unique and artistic story about second chances. At times, I was completely captivated by this first-person account of longing, friendship, photography and love. But, I also got a little frustrated when the side plots (like Rhinehart's Ukrainian family history) would break the novel's momentum. I found myself hurrying through pages to get to the parts I liked most- the friends, the lovers, the photography and the ex-wife. The ending wasn't particularly original, yet it was one I didn't expect. I enjoyed The Rest of Us; the characters were likable, smart and well-written. However, overall the novel didn't quite win me over like I hoped it might.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers. Lots of them. Don't read this if you want to read the book.

I really wanted to like this book, but overall the story was unfulfilling, the characters were not well developed, and the ending was predictable and really disappointing (I love sad endings, much prefer them to happy ones, but the ending to this book was not well executed).

I really love the premise of this book - Terry, a photographer in her thirties, reads that her ex, Rhinehart - an older, famous poet, and her former professor - has died. The news makes her reexamine her life, the choices she has made since leaving college, and her failed relationship with Rhinehart. A few weeks after reading his obituary she literally runs into him (no, he's not a zombie, the obituary was printed by mistake) and they rekindle their long-lost relationship. The premise sounds like something I would love, but the characters, at least the female characters, were way too flat to actually make the book a worthwhile read. I feel that the author doesn't particularly like women, which is confusing, since she is one.

My main complaint about this book is the main character, Terry. I see Terry as weak - she is pushed around by her best friend, she never really DOES anything, and she doesn't ever make her own decisions. She doesn't ever lead anywhere, she's basically a supporting character in her own life. In her thirties she still lives in the same small walk-up apartment she lived in following college, she gave up her dream of being a photographer and works as a photographers assistant in a portrait studio, and she just kind of floats through life. I don't see anything wrong with her life, but the fact that she is so unhappy in it and doesn't really do anything about that unhappiness just bothers me. I'm not a fan of weak characters, particularly weak female characters written by a female author. The only thing that DIDN'T bother me about Terry was the fact that despite the years that have passed, she never really seemed to move on past her brief relationship in college with Rhinehart. This seemed more of a real aspect of her life than any other.

Another major turn-off about this book was Terry's best friend, Hallie. Hallie is, frankly, a bitch. And a bit of a crazy one at that. She's very controlling, especially with Terry, and I feel that in many cases she is the reason that Terry is so weak. She gets mad when Terry FINALLY moves out of the apartment they used to share because then she can't go back and visit a place that played so prominently in her single, early-twenties life. She thinks her husband is cheating on her so she plans this elaborate plot to 'trap' him and his suspected lover at a dinner party, instead of confronting him in private, and airs a bunch of dirty laundry that ultimately makes her look like a complete fool. She makes decisions without considering who they may hurt - she gets a hysterectomy to avoid having kids even though her husband possibly wants them - and basically needs to be in control of everyone in her life. When Terry finds out she's pregnant and Rhinehart gets sick, Hallie TELLS Terry that she is going to be a co-parent to the baby - doesn't ASK if that's what Terry wants, but TELLS her that she has made that decision to 'help' her raise the baby - even though she was so adamantly against being a parent that she decided that permanent birth control was the best choice for her.

The only female character that I liked in the book was Laura, Rhinehart's ex-wife. She was intelligent and driven, and actually seemed to like herself. For the most part... She does go a little crazy when her and Rhinehart split. Laura had way more depth than the other two female characters combined.

A major trend that I see in literature, particularly literature written by women, for women, is that the lead female character has a best friend that is controlling, highly-opinionated about how her friend should be living her life, and/or who tries to fiercely protect her best friend from the outside world (particularly men and other women), but who doesn't follow her own advice or rules for living. Most of these characters have major issues in their own lives that they aren't dealing with, or can't deal with and they exert control over others so they don't feel as powerless. I agree that female friends should look out for one another, but there comes a point when a best friend like that is more of a hindrance to a woman than an actual friend. The best friend as keeper trend in literature is getting old, and I would honestly love to read a book that featured a female main character with a best friend who wasn't a bitch, wasn't confrontational, and who didn't try to control her friend but who actually supported her instead.

Anyway. I felt that the premise of this book was good, but the author didn't actually like her female characters and turned them into stereotypes of women rather than actually give them personalities of their own.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog at therelentlessreader.blogspot.com


The Rest of Us is described as a novel about second chances. While that is certainly true, I found that it's even more about relationships. The people in our lives have an impact on us that we can hardly begin to imagine.

Terry and Rhinehart almost need each other to create their art. Between their early affair and their second chance relationship they both seem to be stagnant. Artistically yes, but in even larger ways. When they being seeing each other for the second time they both begin to flourish.

At first I didn't sense a great passion between these two characters. The further I read the more the closeness and love became apparent. There is a push and a pull between them that reads as very convincing. Their relationship is complicated. The best kinds usually are.

My favorite relationship in The Rest of Us is between Terry and her best friend Hallie. Their history is rich, complex, and believable.

Poetry and photography take central stage in this book. I'm not an aficionado of either of those art forms but this book made them accessible.

Beautifully written with raw sensibility, The Rest of Us has a rhythm all its own.

[Amanda Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

(Originally posted at Byrne After Reading)

Photography has always been my favorite visual art medium. The way you can manipulate images, augmenting, deleting, saturating or making them fade into the background, it’s hard to lie in a photograph. It captures the truth, every time, or at least a version of it.

Terry’s a photographer of sorts. As a student she captured those truths, eagerly planning out projects and flinging herself into them, unable to hold back. And, as young people are inclined to do, she fell in love with an older man, Rhinehart, with the same unyielding passion and verve. Their relationship goes down in flames almost a year later, and while Rhinehart was able to move on, Terry never quite managed to. Fifteen years later she stumbles over his obituary online…and then runs into him in a department store.

I’m proving myself a liar with this review. I hadn’t intended to write this now, instead meaning to wait until my usual month end post. There were too many problems with The Rest of Us for me to give it an unequivocal YES you must read this book, yet here I am, detailing the story in such a manner that might convince you, one way or another, to read it.

One of the hallmarks of literary fiction, to me, is the unflinching way it digs into the deepest of emotions and pulls them screaming to the surface. They’re laid out for everyone to see. It’s like baring your innermost thoughts on a drunken bender, only you have the discomfort of remembering everything the next day.

We don’t quite get there, which is strange, for two reasons: the aforementioned literary fiction aspect and that it’s told in first person, entirely from Terry’s point of view. First person narrative is normally a great way to get sucked into a character’s head, and at times, we do. During the early months of her reemerging relationship with Rhinehart Terry see-saws back and forth, certain he wants her and uncertain about what to do about it. He’s pulled away before and she’s not equipped to handle the doubts and depression that comes with it, or so she thinks. Then she pulls herself up by her bootstraps and reminds herself she’s a grown woman, not the girl she was with him, and she can push and pull with the best of them.

But Lott doesn’t push and pull enough. We’re led right up to the edge, but when we start windmilling our arms to keep our balance, something nudges us back to safety, rather than tipping us ass over teakettle down the cliff side.

What really shines is the photography. You can imagine in vivid detail the photos Terry snaps, or plans, the series she puts together, how the light will catch a certain object and refract it. It’s like an exhibit of Graham Nash and Hedi Slimane and Diane Arbus and Annie Liebovitz crushed together. I wanted to dash out and buy those pictures, even though they didn’t exist.

There was something about The Rest of Us that made me kept turning the pages, even when I should have been reading something else because I had a review coming up or it was due back at the library. I think it’s that indescribable thing that, even with all its flaws, makes it possible for Terry and Rhinehart and their convoluted dance to get under your skin. It’s not a brilliant story. I’m hesitant to even call it a great story. It doesn’t tread any new ground or make us think over familiar territory in a new way. The ending, meant to rip you in two, is almost predictable. Terry’s anguish isn’t the black hole I’d think it would be. Yet I still kept turning pages until the bitter end.

Ultimately, this is a book you’ll have to decide if you want to take a chance on. For what it’s worth, had I seen it in a bookstore, I likely would have picked it up.

The Rest of Us releases July 2, 2013. Review copy provided by the publisher.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rest of Us opens with the obituary of Rudolf Rhinehart, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet and professor of literature, read by Terry, who at age 20 had an affair with Rhinehart, the ending of which she never recovered from. Now 35, Terry works as a portrait photographer's assistant, having given up all of her own artistic ambitions years earlier. Devastated by the news of his death, Terry begins to wander the city, and eventually runs into Rhinehart at the Estee Lauder counter in Bloomingdale's, to which I can attest having been at the Estee Lauder counter, is where a lot of dead people can be found. Rhinehart explains to a sobbing Terry that the Times printed his obituary in error and then invites her to a dinner party that he and his wife are having. That goes over about as well as you might expect, and soon Rhinehart and his wife Laura are separated, and Rhinehart and Terry have renewed their friendship.

At this point, the reader is justifiably annoyed. Rhinehart is distant and the king of mixed signals, and Terry seems pathetic and desperate to rekindle their long-dead affair, thinking that her presence will somehow inspire Rhinehart to begin writing poetry again (which he stopped doing shortly after winning the Pulitzer) instead of obsessing about his genealogy and possibly getting conned by a woman in the Ukraine who claims to be a long-lost cousin. But at the same time, Terry has begun taking photographs again and begins to show her work to gallery owners and art show promoters, including Rhinehart's ex-wife Laura. When Terry and Rhinehart do resume their affair, they do so on an equal footing, and the expected cliche of Terry as Rhinehart's muse never develops.

Not doing the expected is the strength of this novel. At about the halfway point, you feel like you know what's going to happen and who all these people are, and then the author shows you how wrong you were. Terry is not the doormat, Hallie (her best and seemingly only friend) not the monster, Rhinehart not the narcissist, and Laura not the manipulator that they appear to be at first blush. Even the minor characters are given their full humanity, and it's just as wonderful and tragic as it should be. I've seen some reviewers complain about the pacing of the book, that it's too slow to begin and too rushed in the end, but I suspect this was more of a deliberate choice on Lott's part, mirroring Terry's long period of stasis and then the series of events, both good and bad, that occur in short order once she begins actively pursuing her own life and work. This is Lott's first full-length novel, and it's impressive.

[Tabitha Vohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good literature makes you feel, shows you the ordinary through new eyes, and offers a delicious escape into the beauty of language, enigmatic characters, and stories worth telling. Jessica’s Lott’s The Rest of Us deserves to be noted as a piece of good literature.

It is a story very much grounded in realistic possibility-i.e. this could be anyone’s story. It explores traditional themes of self-discovery and impossible love with maturity and grace. The b-storylines also explore ideas about parenthood, the urgency of self-doubt, the grave necessity of friendship, and the crucial importance of following one’s dreams. Encompassing all of these ideas is the predominant, softly-spoken message that love is what keeps us sane, what gets us out of bed in the morning, what saves us from ourselves.

What I loved most about this novel is the eloquence of Lott’s prose. The novel is filled with these brilliant, poetic ah-hah moments about nature and being in the moment. I hate to mark up my books but I found myself tempted to underline passages that I wanted to ponder at longer intervals, like a painting. I will need to read it again soon and do so. I also appreciated that although there were characters in this story that I couldn’t stand, Lott revealed found ways to reveal those characters’ best selves, and it was wonderful to see those characters evolve; it reminded me that no one is a whole embodiment of a “worse feature”. It was a lovely reminder.

Only one element of this story stuck out as a sour note, and that was the ending. Against the backdrop of the rest of the novel, the ending felt cruelly abrupt. “What? That’s it?!” I asked myself. Not enough to sully the work as a whole; however, I wish that the story had been given a stronger, more deserving sense of closure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, was said to see the characters part, and look forward to Lott’s next effort.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

First it must be said I expected much more passion, I wouldn't rate as 'it was okay' because the writing is good. Lott does translate heartbreak wonderfully, but I can't say I really liked it- I am somewhere in the middle but I gave 3 stars anyway. I expected Terri to be far more alive and Rhineheart 'the famous poetry professor' and the object of her intense youthful love hardly seemed seductive or even interesting enough to fall 'destructively' in love with. I liked to read about her photography, and certainly the author addresses the effect that certain people have on our life (good, bad and ugly) how they shape the people we become but I just wasn't impressed with Terry, she wasn't alive nor strong enough to make me care much for her and she did not have the character one would normally see in artists. Again, I have been reading books that I am having to pull along, like a dead weight and a novel is supposed to carry you somewhere! I was invested enough to see it to the end, but it isn't a novel I am going to rave about nor remember much. When I read about the lives of artists in non-fiction, they are dynamic, multi-layered, fascinating creatures and even at their poorest or most depressed state there is an energy about them- one Terry and Rhineheart lacked. I realize this is a work of ficition, but life should lend a little meat to a fictional artist. Don't be put off, she is a good writer I just don't think I particularly liked these characters. But it could just be me.

[sendann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate this book. But I can tell that it's good, so I'm giving it the five stars that it deserves, even though it made me feel icky and gave me a headache from having my eyes rolled up so much while reading. Why did I even pick this up? It got on my list somehow, probably from some late night New Yorker Notable Books session that results in a weeks worth of reserve notices coming at me from the library for things I can't imagine myself even wanting to read. Oh, and the edition I was reading from my local library had a couple major typos. But all that aside, it seems like a great achievement. It just, for me, touched on topics, people, places, personalities and styles of existing that I happen to abhor. I cannot recommend this book in good conscious, but if you are horrible, you might love every moment of this truly impressive literary accomplishment.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still deciding how I feel about this book, but I read it in 2 days...so it can't have been bad...right? The book centers around a passionate student/professor relationship and follows them 15 years later after they have a chance meeting. I spent the first half of the book annoyed and feeling like I knew exactly where the book was going, and the second half scratching my head. Although I prefer the actual ending to where I thought the book was going!

Overall, I think this was interesting character development and good writing...and a bit of a reminder lesson for me in terms of my tendency toward snap judgments :)

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second chances abound in this novel. Terry reads the obituary of her former lover, an older poet, and falls apart. Her life has stagnated,she no longer does her photography, she's in an unfulfilling job; it is a wakeup call. Then she runs into him--the New York Times made a mistake. She and he both have a second chance. Will they learn from the past? Can you ever recover from the loss of a parent? This is a good novel with lots of New York atmosphere, current feminist art, and sad enough for those who like that.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just confused by this story. Woman is reliving her pass ... is basically obsessed with it. All of her growth and maturity and experiences seemed to start and stop when she met an older man in college. And then begins again when they meet again years later with her in her mid 30s and him not quite divorced. Jessica Lott, what were you saying here? That obsession is sometimes awesome and correct? That obsession can be good for us, and sometimes the object of obsession works out? Seems a bit odd to me. I didn't buy it. And the story didn't ring "real" either.

[karmaforlifechick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a very emotional one and I went through a range of emotions, joy, frustration, confusion and sadness. The setting of the story and the personalities of the characters were well thought out, I felt this novel had a classic quality. It questions choices we make in our lives, both when we are young and old enough to know better, the pull of family and our need to know our past and how it translates to the present. It is not what I would call a light read – but worth the read.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this 5 stars for a couple of reasons-- (1) it was about a professor and female college student who were involved once, and then meet again when she is 35, which is a clever idea for a novel; (2) I honestly read the entire book in less than 24 hours, it was so compelling; (3) Jessica Lott created some very interesting characters, and I was genuinely curious to see how the story got resolved. She did an excellent job; I'll remember this book for a long time.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, quiet novel about the sweet, drunken highs and nauseating lows of two people in love. They swim through the currents of a complicated history, conflicting life plans, and searches for self-worth. It is simple love story and I can be a sucker for them. I enjoyed the book, but its ordinary characters and 'on the nose' dialogue and direction hold the novel back from being memorable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly when I started this I almost baled... I didn't care a whit about the characters and it felt like I was reading about grass growing. What kept me plugging away was the beauty of the writing and gradually as the story developed my outlook changed. By the last few chapters I was really caring how things turned out. Stick with this one!

[Rivkasilver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like any description I could write up about this book would conjure a shallow vision of its story, my words masking its essence instead of revealing them.
Suffice to say it touched my soul in a way few books have ever before.
Thank you Jessica Lott.

[Ed Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I make it a point to read first novels by new authors, which is what drew me to this one. The core story starts with a romance between a professor and his student, and novels that take place on college campuses are another trope that I find entertaining. And this book has a lot going for it — the writing is strong, the two characters are nuanced and well drawn and the plotting is efficient, even when it meanders around a bit. But, I felt the book wasn’t ultimately a home run, for a couple of reasons. First, the secondary characters are less dimensional — particularly the protagonist’s lifelong best friend is such a mess (at least as we see her) as to make me feel that the friendship was false. There is a subplot about the professor going to Ukraine to understand his own roots that feels, if not unresolved, then not fully baked. There’s a melodramatic turn near the end that feels a bit slapped together, though that’s not a deal-breaker. As is often the case with first novels that perhaps grew out of MFA programs (the novelist Ha Jin was Lott’s mentor, and the overall flow of this book is a bit like Jin’s), you can see the talent but for me, I’m more curious about her, say, third book — two terrific novelists of the past generation (John Irving and Scott Spencer) has a similar arc, not producing a great novel until the third time at bat (The World According to Garp and Endless Love, respectively). I am hoping that’s what will happen with Jessica Lott. As for this book, I liked it but also found it disappointing, given the talent on display and the results on the page.

Grade: B-

[Marie Bombeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a slow build but still mesmerizing with the main character being very relatable. I am drawn to characters that have human moments with flaws and real emotions. I loved to the growth each character had and the reminder that life is unpredictable and imperfect. But there are moments of solace and beauty. I am enjoy reading books that seem to be as close to real life as a work of fiction can be. I went to art school and began a graphic designer. I understand Terry who works in her field but found it hard to create her own work. With a relatable female character, I see that there is always room to grow and create again when you feel it is no longer possible. The end of the book may be sad. But life can be that way. The connection that was there will be there forever. It is better to loved and lost than to never loved at all.

[Sjfstudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spot on contemporary novel that had me nodding my head saying, oh yeah. The novel explores a young woman's rediscovered former love, her own artistic search and the realization that whatever life throws at you, there is a tomorrow and you are stronger than you think you are. Really enjoyed this one and hope to read more from this author one day.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry to say I didn't much care for this book. I found the story and characters drawn out & boring. I need to like at least one character in a book or film, but didn't much care for any of them, especially the 2 main characters. Ironically (and you'll know what I mean by "ironically" if you've read the book, it got much more interesting at the very end.

[Helen Dullea · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an effort to stray away from another fluffy read, I stumbled across this book at the library. I was not prepared to read such a serious analysis on the purpose and life of a 30ish year old woman. It’s very intellectual and the way things transpired, left me transfixed and a little ashamed. Why would there be a happy ending for anyone anymore?

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it a good try but couldn't muster interest in the characters.

[Desirée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intressant inledning, bra hook liksom, men besviken på slutet, lite platt.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautifully devastating.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

There may be a few SPOILERS in here so please beware before reading.

This book simultaneously angered and thrilled me.
The appeal of this book, for me, was twofold. 1) the idea of running into a past lover with the possibility of starting things up again against all odds is a very alluring fantasy (and usually just that, a fantasy), and 2) the complexities of trying to be an artist/creative person in NYC and all the challenges one faces.

Terry (Tatie) reads an obituary of a past lover and then runs into him in a department store a few days later. The obituary clearly ran in error, and she reacts to his still being alive with jarring emotion. Although she and Rinehart (Rudy Rinehart, but she refers to him by his last name) have not seen each other or spoken in 15 years, and their relationship was a tumultuous one, they are thrilled to have bumped into one another and he invites her to dinner at his home, to a party with other artists, writers and creative types (he is a poet and professor and she is an aspiring photographer). He is married, which she knew, but it is clear that the marriage is not going well, and Tatie spends most of the dinner thinking and feeling all the old familiar feelings about Rinehart that apparently had not disappeared in 15 years.

She and Rinehart start spending more and more time together and their friendship grows. It would seem that both Tatie and Rinehart are still holding on to old habits but as the book progresses, thankfully, both show that they have grown up some since their last fling (Rinehart is 20ish years older than Tatie-he was actually a professor at her school when they met). They find themselves falling in love again but this time Rinehart wants to do it right (he has since left his wife and the divorce papers are in the works). There were times during this period where I started to hate both Tatie and Rinehart. Tatie starts to become selfish and unaware of her affect on people around her. Rinehart seems sad, ridiculous and feeble, dare I say, old. Tatie finally has the upper hand in her relationship with him but it's not attractive for either of them. Just when I start to think that this whole rekindling of their love is a bad idea, suddenly they find a comfortable place and it starts to work for me.

Right when I am feeling really good about it all and excited for their new life together, heartbreak ensues.

It's a bittersweet story, in the end Tatie and Rinehart were able to close the loop on their love and get some closure, leaving the rest of us feeling all the feelings and trying to make sense of it all.

[Donna Brown]

Rhinehart was Terry’s big love, introducing her to womanhood, encouraging her inspiration but, ultimately, breaking her heart. When she reads his obituary, she’s forced to accept that her feelings remain unresolved. But the obituary was a silly mistake and a brief meeting in a department store brings a now-married Rhinehart back into her life.

Lott demonstrates a great attention to detail and an ability to write clever, educated characters. Unfortunately, they did not sparkle for me. Terry seemed naive and almost incomplete, like she couldn’t fully function without Rhinehart to consult or get approval from. Rhinehart appears smug and superior, insular and self- obsessed. And indeed, there would have been nothing wrong with this, had this been a different kind of story, or if these were supporting characters. For me, however, a story like this can only be fully appreciated if you can identify with a least one character, even if you don’t happen to like them very much.

The first time Terry showed traits that made me warm to her (slightly), like independence and self- confidence, she was using these attributes to enable an irresponsible and selfish lifestyle. In the same vein, when Rhinehart initially showed vulnerability, it was so dramatic as to be almost overdone and pitiful. I just couldn’t root for these characters.

The novel itself felt fragmented at times, lacking cohesion and flow as it moved from event to event. This was partly down to the change in tempo. The first half of the book progressed slowly and felt almost drawn out, whilst the second quickly gathered pace. The latter half of the novel was significantly more well-paced, compelling and engaging.

My concerns notwithstanding, Lott’s writing style itself provides the real redemption. Character development aside, her writing can be clever and well-structured, lacks the saccharine sentimentality that can easily mar such a novel, and evidences a confident writing style. At times when listening, Ian McEwan came to mind. That’s the real positive here. If Lott can develop the clever character development that McEwan applies, her position as a literary talent will be assured.

In short, whilst this is not without its weaknesses, it’s certainly a worthwhile read. The fluffy is truly absent and if the fuzzy can be erased in future titles, Lott will be a winner.

**I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and I did not receive any additional compensation.**

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is it lately with books I read? Always with women who date men that are old enough to be their fathers! Time to read books with men as the protagonist! I can't review this one without spoilers, but first some complaints -

page 113 "Rhinehart had chosen his favorite overpriced deli restaurant on Second Avenue, which he claimed was his favorite". What does this even mean? Deli restaurant? Who says that? And the double favorites? Reads like a sentence that was heavily edited and now makes no sens.

I-forget-which-page: after spending the TUESDAY night, he asks her to spend the day, which she promptly does. Um, her job? She spends an awful lot of time *not* at her dead end job. Must be nice.

page 236- "....another woman had retrieved Kate's purse and was arranging for people to move their cars so she could leave" . Kate was the last to arrive at the party. Who could possibly have boxed her in?

There were more, but those were the two that annoyed me enough to jam sticky notes in the book. Bottom line, Im not sure what this book was about, except for one woman's amazing obsession with a guy. Onto the spoilers

What the hell is with women and older men? Men who could be their fathers? I just don't get it. And how obsessed she was? Good lord I wanted to slap her selfish myopic naivete. Cripes, she was 35 farking years old! Yes, I too was far too infatuated with my college love, and I too held onto him for far too long, and harbored imaginings of getting back together... But for 15 years? Holy crap lady.

And OF COURSE she gets pregnant. This is the way that books about women with way older men go. Oh, OK, I suppose we could get literary and talk about how its family and he has none, etc etc.... But all I saw was the same tired trope Ive seen in at least two other books Ive read in the past couple months.

And, really Im a completely awful person for this, but when I realized he was going to die, I kinda thought "serves you right - youre awful and self centered and he's nearly 25 years older than you"

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say that I really connected with any of the characters. They were all flawed but usually that doesn't hold me back from liking a character. I just didn't like any of them. I didn't understand Terry's "incredible" love for Rhinehart. He seemed dull and way too interested in his own interests. That mixed with the fact that he was so much older than her, I just didn't see the head over heels attraction on Terry's part. Even the peripheral characters seemed way too self involved. Hallie and her strange way of suspecting her husband of cheating on her and then her subsequent strange behavior of not eating and smoking her day away. All of this followed by her sudden transformation using Buddhism and a return to PR. It all seemed a little forced. Then there was Laura, Rhineharts ex-wife, who suddenly shows an interest in Terry's photography, which at first is a super strange relationship in that it keeps Terry away from Rhinehart for nights on end. Then Terry see's through her behavior and backs away from her only to receive a phone call from her months later saying that a popular gallery owner is interested in showing her work. Terry is of course suspicious at first but then she realizes that this is all legitimate and may be her opportunity to make it "big time" Unfortunately, just as things start to go right for Terry and Rhinehart, tragedy strikes. Will they make it through the tough times? They didn't make it the last time they dated, while she was in college and things got tough. What is going to happen now?

The book wasn't bad enough for me to stop reading. I was interested enough to keep reading to see the book through to the end. However, again, I must say that I did not connect with the characters at all and I didn't understand why any of them still stood by each other when they treated each other so horribly at times. I can't say that this was a 2 star book. To me it probably was more of a 2.5 stars but since there are no half stars I bumped it up to a 3 star. I liked it but didn't love it. The characters really annoyed me.

[Kellinova · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rest of Us follows Terry through the rekindling of her relationship with an old flame. The book is mostly a comment on how family and our past shapes who we are while exploring these themes through a first person narrative weaving memories and present events together. Lott's use of language is beautiful and feels as though every single word was carefully chosen in order to properly reflect each event and feeling. The ending was predictable but the journey to the ending didn't feel predictable, if that makes sense.

The first 2/3 of the book felt slow and bland, but I feel like the events in the last 3rd make up for it. Looking back at the first 2/3rds that felt boring and difficult to push through, I feel like it really set up who each character was so that we can understand who they are now.

Lott's narrative through Terry's point of view and her use of memories seemed to skew the reality of the characters to make them all incredibly sympathetic regardless of how unbalanced or mean they appeared. I didn't realize until about halfway through how forgiving I had been to Terry's obvious crazy ex-girlfriend status. The further I got into the book the more I started questioning Terry as a reliable narrator and her accounts of Reinhardt's transgressions against her.

The fact that 2/3 of the book had me feeling so bored is the only reason this book is getting 4 instead of 5 stars. The ending was wonderful and powerful. The use of language was beautiful and refreshing. The way Lott handled the themes of family and memories felt fresh. I definitely recommend this book and I look forward to rereading it knowing what I know now. There is so much happening in this book character wise, theme wise and even symbolically that I feel like a second reading will probably make me better understand the parts I felt were too boring to deal with.