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The Tell: An Elegant Domestic Noir of Marriage, Secrets, and Deception – Women's Fiction
An elegant and haunting novel of love and family, The Tell demands that we reconsider our notions of marriage—duty, compromise, betrayal, and the choice to stand by or leave the ones we love
For Mira and Owen, a young, childless couple living in Providence, marital and financial troubles are simmering just below the surface—until Wilton Deere, a wealthy, over-the-hill actor, moves in next door. With no friends to speak of and an estranged daughter to win back, the desperate Wilton inserts himself into the younger couple’s lives. As stresses at work and home take their toll, Mira disappears secretly to casinos and slot machines, accompanied by Wilton. In time, her escapism turns to full-on addiction, threatening a marital bond that is fraying by the day. Adrift and alone, Owen finds himself with nowhere to turn but to the beautiful and mysterious Anya, Wilton’s daughter, who is testing her ability to trust her father after years apart.
As Owen and Mira’s marriage reaches what can only be the breaking point, Wilton suddenly disappears. The two must come together to find him and confront the new reality of their relationship —complete with sobering lessons learned but perhaps, if they can weather a storm of their own making, none the weaker for it.
The Tell is a book about of marriage, of dependence, of responsibility, of living in the past. Told with equal parts suspense, sympathy, and psychological complexity, it shows us the intimate and shifting ways we reveal ourselves before we act, and what we assume yet don’t know about the people we love.
For Mira and Owen, a young, childless couple living in Providence, marital and financial troubles are simmering just below the surface—until Wilton Deere, a wealthy, over-the-hill actor, moves in next door. With no friends to speak of and an estranged daughter to win back, the desperate Wilton inserts himself into the younger couple’s lives. As stresses at work and home take their toll, Mira disappears secretly to casinos and slot machines, accompanied by Wilton. In time, her escapism turns to full-on addiction, threatening a marital bond that is fraying by the day. Adrift and alone, Owen finds himself with nowhere to turn but to the beautiful and mysterious Anya, Wilton’s daughter, who is testing her ability to trust her father after years apart.
As Owen and Mira’s marriage reaches what can only be the breaking point, Wilton suddenly disappears. The two must come together to find him and confront the new reality of their relationship —complete with sobering lessons learned but perhaps, if they can weather a storm of their own making, none the weaker for it.
The Tell is a book about of marriage, of dependence, of responsibility, of living in the past. Told with equal parts suspense, sympathy, and psychological complexity, it shows us the intimate and shifting ways we reveal ourselves before we act, and what we assume yet don’t know about the people we love.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2012
About the author
Hester Kaplan
12 books47 followersI write and I teach writing, and I love to talk about books and writing. I come from a family of writers, and have seen how much publishing and book promotion has changed. I really like the ability to talk to readers through sites like Goodreads, and I'd love to hear from you.
"The Tell" is about marriage--a great interest of mine--and the limits of knowing another person. It is also about addiction and lies, and the recovery of trust.
Let me know what you think about the book!
"The Tell" is about marriage--a great interest of mine--and the limits of knowing another person. It is also about addiction and lies, and the recovery of trust.
Let me know what you think about the book!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
May 31, 2013
I hate to seem hyperbolic, but Hester Kaplan's The Tell is just about the best character-driven novel I've read in ages. The settings and those populating them are perfectly-described, and there were too many moments where I thought, "Damn, I wish I'd written that sentence!" Kaplan has mastered walking the tightrope between prose and poetry. She renders images and moments in time with perfect turns of phrase, and her writing is somehow spare and lush all at once. In the interest of full disclosure, as one who has lived and loved in the quirky city of Providence, Rhode Island and spent summers on Cape Cod, I may have been predisposed to love certain site-specific aspects of the story. That said, my gut sense was that a perfect stranger to those areas could read Kaplan's novel and know instantly just what it is like to be in those places in person. She has captured the mood and the spirit of locations, and flawlessly depicted the impact of place on her characters. Mia, Owen, Wilton and all the rest - they are flesh and blood, and their stories have real weight and meaning. I found myself slowing as I neared the end of the book; I was not ready to be done with this tale. As I read, I was reminded of everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Ian McEwan. I was enchanted, which was lovely, because it's been too long since I felt that way while reading. Ms. Kaplan is a writer in the truest sense of the word. She is clearly both a natural and someone who painstakingly works on her product. Her talent and her dedication to her craft shine through in a way that made me truly happy as I read. It made me want to hold her up on a pedestal - as I am attempting to do now - and say, "Here she is - the sort of writer who justifies my love of story and the written word. The sort of writer who proves that, at any age, one can find magic and meaning in fiction."
November 25, 2017
10 days to finish. I highlighted several sections of A+ prose, which I suppose kept me trudging along to the end of this muddled book.
I started it rather randomly because, well — it called to me, with a has-been sitcom actor character, its unique, to me, Providence, Rhode Island setting, and a sub-plot about casinos and gambling addiction, which is not the usual “-iction.” As I type this, I realize it sounds like yet another of my “upper” choices.
Heather Kaplan can write. I can say that about this book. I trudged, labored, considered quitting, but she eventually won. I am ready for a new book.
I started it rather randomly because, well — it called to me, with a has-been sitcom actor character, its unique, to me, Providence, Rhode Island setting, and a sub-plot about casinos and gambling addiction, which is not the usual “-iction.” As I type this, I realize it sounds like yet another of my “upper” choices.
Heather Kaplan can write. I can say that about this book. I trudged, labored, considered quitting, but she eventually won. I am ready for a new book.
March 14, 2013
I'm not usually a book-marker-upper, but I can't tell you how often I wanted to underline passages and write 'yes!' while reading this. Anyone who writes fiction can learn a lot about place and scene setting from this novel.
October 17, 2013
This novel started out in a fairly interesting way, but by the end, it dragged and dragged and contained dark, unlikable characters. Mira and Owen are a young couple who face a hurdle when a neighbor moves in, an aged actor named Wilton who harbors his old secrets. Wilton is trying to connect with his long lost daughter, Anya. Overall, the characters were well written, just not in a likable way where you actually care about them. And the back description of the book, which I always read to gauge my interest basically gives away the entire plot, including an event that doesn't happen till nearly the end. BLECH!
February 27, 2013
After seeing other reviews, I realize I'm going to be the cheese that stands alone on this, but I didn't like anything about this book.
I felt like the relationship between the husband and wife wasn't authentic. They didn't interact or speak to each other like actual human beings do. It was just stilted and odd. (and not on purpose)
They didn't seem like real people in any way at all. Nothing in the book seemed life-like to me.
I didn't enjoy the author's style of writing. It was just dense for no reason like it was trying to be sophisticated or deep. It left me bored and irritated.
I disliked this book so much, I didn't even finish. I haven't left a book unfinished for years. YEARS! I knew it was time to put myself out of book misery when I realized I'd rather read the entire 50 Shade of Gray Trilogy again than one more page of The Tell. UGH.
I felt like the relationship between the husband and wife wasn't authentic. They didn't interact or speak to each other like actual human beings do. It was just stilted and odd. (and not on purpose)
They didn't seem like real people in any way at all. Nothing in the book seemed life-like to me.
I didn't enjoy the author's style of writing. It was just dense for no reason like it was trying to be sophisticated or deep. It left me bored and irritated.
I disliked this book so much, I didn't even finish. I haven't left a book unfinished for years. YEARS! I knew it was time to put myself out of book misery when I realized I'd rather read the entire 50 Shade of Gray Trilogy again than one more page of The Tell. UGH.
January 29, 2013
In an interview at the back of this book, Hester Kaplan mentions that she studied anthropology in college--and it shows in all her work, because she is a literary anthropologist of moments and relationships, a lyrical anthropologist who studies the things we are only courageous enough to say to strangers and the things we are only cruel enough to say to those we love.
When she wrote The Tell she must have bugged all of our kitchens and bedrooms; she must have sat in our corners jotting down notes while we argued with our spouses. This pitch-perfect story rings as true as if I had observed it all with my own eyes. In fact, sometimes I got confused as to whether I actually had.
When she wrote The Tell she must have bugged all of our kitchens and bedrooms; she must have sat in our corners jotting down notes while we argued with our spouses. This pitch-perfect story rings as true as if I had observed it all with my own eyes. In fact, sometimes I got confused as to whether I actually had.
September 15, 2013
(See our full review over at Bookkaholic.) It’s said that two of the most basic plots in literature start with the hero setting off on a journey, or a stranger coming to town. Kaplan blends these two themes in an intriguing way: a familiar stranger moves in next door and throws a marriage into crisis, sending the central couple on a journey to discover what really matters to them and whether their relationship can withstand the triple blow of addiction, jealousy, and suspicion.
February 5, 2013
Hester Kaplan's The Tell is a fascinating piece of literary fiction. Told from the point of view of Owen Brewer, The Tell is the story of a kind of triangle that develops between Owen; his wife, Mira; and their new neighbor, Wilton Deere. Set in monied Providence, Rhode Island, The Tell examines the nature of addiction and the nuances of a marriage that is in peril. Kaplan's writing is exquisite and makes an interesting narrative absolutely lovely to read.
The Tell Wilton Deere, the new neighbor of Owen and Mira, is a has-been television actor, consumed by the need for recognition and a kind of shoddy fame. He is nearly unable to function in his new role as a homeowner and must be rescued by Mira and Owen. His friendship with the couple makes Owen uneasy, as it becomes clear that Mira and Wilton are developing a relationship of their own, one that excludes Owen. Things come to a head for the couple when Wilton and Mira begin regularly visiting the local casino. Wilton's addiction to fame is closely mirrored by Mira's addiction to gambling. Additionally, Wilton attempts to build a relationship with his estranged daughter, Anya, who seems to be more interested in Owen than she is in her father.
The houses of these characters play a prominent role in this novel, as Kaplan points out in her notes at the end of the volume. In fact, it's almost as though Mira is haunted not just by departed family members but by the very ancestral home that she still inhabits. And it's not a haunted house but rather a house that's doing the haunting. Wilton similarly inhabits a home that is simply unmanageable--more space than he can use, appliances that he's unable to operate, a home that he doesn't quite know how to maintain. The houses here are like characters. This places Kaplan's work in the tradition of the Gothic novel. One has the sense that if only Owen and Mira and even Wilton could break away from their old, drafty, too-large houses, they could save themselves. And yet, these homes are really symbolic of the characters themselves: for example, Owen lives with Mira in her family home, and he has the definite sense of being an outsider in this home and within the privileged class of old money that it represents. Wilton's inability to manage his home, even in a basic way, is indicative of his larger inability to manage his life and particularly interpersonal relationships.
Kaplan's characters are compelling, even if, with the exception of Owen, they are not entirely likable. And Kaplan's elegant, perfect, nearly-poetic writing makes this a work worth reading. It is as though Kaplan never wastes a word, always chooses her words with such precision. Her style feels effortless, always the mark of particularly lovely writing. Some readers are not, I know, impressed by literary fiction, but Kaplan's feat truly is impressive. Here is a work that I believe will someday be considered a classic.
This review originally published at Speaking of Books, a site devoted to book reviews and discussions of literature and culture. Visit us at www.drennanspitzer.com
NOTE: A free review copy was provided by the publisher. No other compensation was received.
The Tell Wilton Deere, the new neighbor of Owen and Mira, is a has-been television actor, consumed by the need for recognition and a kind of shoddy fame. He is nearly unable to function in his new role as a homeowner and must be rescued by Mira and Owen. His friendship with the couple makes Owen uneasy, as it becomes clear that Mira and Wilton are developing a relationship of their own, one that excludes Owen. Things come to a head for the couple when Wilton and Mira begin regularly visiting the local casino. Wilton's addiction to fame is closely mirrored by Mira's addiction to gambling. Additionally, Wilton attempts to build a relationship with his estranged daughter, Anya, who seems to be more interested in Owen than she is in her father.
The houses of these characters play a prominent role in this novel, as Kaplan points out in her notes at the end of the volume. In fact, it's almost as though Mira is haunted not just by departed family members but by the very ancestral home that she still inhabits. And it's not a haunted house but rather a house that's doing the haunting. Wilton similarly inhabits a home that is simply unmanageable--more space than he can use, appliances that he's unable to operate, a home that he doesn't quite know how to maintain. The houses here are like characters. This places Kaplan's work in the tradition of the Gothic novel. One has the sense that if only Owen and Mira and even Wilton could break away from their old, drafty, too-large houses, they could save themselves. And yet, these homes are really symbolic of the characters themselves: for example, Owen lives with Mira in her family home, and he has the definite sense of being an outsider in this home and within the privileged class of old money that it represents. Wilton's inability to manage his home, even in a basic way, is indicative of his larger inability to manage his life and particularly interpersonal relationships.
Kaplan's characters are compelling, even if, with the exception of Owen, they are not entirely likable. And Kaplan's elegant, perfect, nearly-poetic writing makes this a work worth reading. It is as though Kaplan never wastes a word, always chooses her words with such precision. Her style feels effortless, always the mark of particularly lovely writing. Some readers are not, I know, impressed by literary fiction, but Kaplan's feat truly is impressive. Here is a work that I believe will someday be considered a classic.
This review originally published at Speaking of Books, a site devoted to book reviews and discussions of literature and culture. Visit us at www.drennanspitzer.com
NOTE: A free review copy was provided by the publisher. No other compensation was received.
January 16, 2013
The Tell by Hester Kaplan unfolds like a stop-motion movie, one frame at a time, and in that movie there are flashes of the past. Owen Brewer’s attention is easily swayed from one subject and one moment to another, breathing in both the past and present of his life, while at the same time observing the behaviors and ticks of others. His marriage to Mira Thrasher is modern and telling, especially in how they introduce themselves to the new neighbor and former actor Wilton Deere. Their marriage does not seem to be on solid ground, just from the way Owen watches the interaction of his wife and Wilton and thinks about reclaiming her in the most instinctual way. Owen is tough to take and analyzes a great many things much more than other people would, while Mira is more a take-it-as-is girl and enjoys the moments, while not watching for the sky to fall. Meanwhile, Wilton is trying to reconnect with his daughter, but in the process clings to this married couple next door because he longs to be loved and hated.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2013/01/t...
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2013/01/t...
May 12, 2013
I'm excited to be a Good Reads winner. I can't wait to read the book and will give my review when it's done :)It was an interesting read. It is amazing how one person, Wilton, can enter a couple's life and create havoc. It is interesting how they all intertwine and the imprint that one person can leave.
February 10, 2013
I was delighted to received this book in the goodreads giveaway. This is a book of fiction that examines the risks that people take when trying to form connections and avoid isolation. The four of the main characters are all dealing with their own issues, which the author Hester interweaves together with the other characters in the book.
January 23, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's exquisitely written and taut, with a plot-line that plays with your expectations and characters that are believable and engaging. Kaplan is a new author for me, and I will definitely track down her other work!
April 7, 2013
So sad when people wallow in their unhappiness unable to even consider changes in their lives! This is a tragedy involving tragic unlikeable people. I just kept reading - hoping anyone of the 4 characters would MOVE off of center! A total disappointment!!!
April 28, 2019
3.5 stars.
This is one of those stories where a couple is doing their thing when along comes a third person who wreaks havoc upon their ordinary lives. It might seem that the interloper is the source of all their woes, but actually the seeds of dissent are always there. This is always an interesting premise, and this book doesn't disappoint. You become fond of the couple, Owen and Mira, and you're intrigued, irritated, and amused by their next door neighbor, Wilton Deere, who just happens to be a former sit-com star who's still being viewed through late night re-runs on cable. Wilton introduces Mira to the lure of the slots, and everything spirals downward from there.
The book is well-plotted and the characters are well-developed. Kaplan is a sharp observer of people and their interactions. Hence, most of the actions seems credible. The story is located in Providence, RI, a quirky city I know well. So, of course, I found it quite interesting. It also delves into the nature of gambling addiction. If I have a criticism it's that it downplays how very difficult an addiction like that can be to overcome.
This is one of those stories where a couple is doing their thing when along comes a third person who wreaks havoc upon their ordinary lives. It might seem that the interloper is the source of all their woes, but actually the seeds of dissent are always there. This is always an interesting premise, and this book doesn't disappoint. You become fond of the couple, Owen and Mira, and you're intrigued, irritated, and amused by their next door neighbor, Wilton Deere, who just happens to be a former sit-com star who's still being viewed through late night re-runs on cable. Wilton introduces Mira to the lure of the slots, and everything spirals downward from there.
The book is well-plotted and the characters are well-developed. Kaplan is a sharp observer of people and their interactions. Hence, most of the actions seems credible. The story is located in Providence, RI, a quirky city I know well. So, of course, I found it quite interesting. It also delves into the nature of gambling addiction. If I have a criticism it's that it downplays how very difficult an addiction like that can be to overcome.
June 14, 2020
I just never got into this book and all the way through couldn't keep in mind how old the characters were. None of them seemed to really care for anyone accept themselves, and they were helpless to help each other. Wilton was just plain pitiful, and no one ever mentioned that.
I felt the digressions into Owen's teaching life were shallow, and did nothing to add to the story. Probably the best parts were about Brindle, and the book might have been better if instead of Spruance Ms Kaplan had written more about the people who studied at the studio.
And the ending was just blah; no romance, no real resolution, not even any hope of a meaningful hereafter. . There was nowhere for the remaining characters to go.
I felt the digressions into Owen's teaching life were shallow, and did nothing to add to the story. Probably the best parts were about Brindle, and the book might have been better if instead of Spruance Ms Kaplan had written more about the people who studied at the studio.
And the ending was just blah; no romance, no real resolution, not even any hope of a meaningful hereafter. . There was nowhere for the remaining characters to go.
October 27, 2019
Kaplan seems to be the master of daily-life psychological terror - I always get a sense of real foreboding lurking in the corners of her work. I couldn't connect to any of these characters, but I liked that Providence RI was a silent player that created the template for the story - her observations were fascinating. I liked her short story collection Unravished more, but I'm going to continue to read her other books.
April 29, 2019
This is a fascinating look into the lives of real and moving characters. The vivid and unique descriptions of Providence make the city an additional vibrant character, deepening the reader's experience. Hester Kaplan's creative genius with words is amazing. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a great story and incredibly rich writing.
October 21, 2017
I was hooked by the beautiful choices of language to build characters and place. I would have been content with that. But as the plot gained momentum and accelerated into a page turner, I so enjoyed that icing on the cake.
June 3, 2020
Beautiful writing about the perils of marriage, friendship and love. Interesting setting in Providence, Rhode Island, was so well drawn that you felt you lived in the same street as Owen and Mira. And the ending has the perfect metaphor—don’t get too near the edge!
June 23, 2020
The story takes a long time to unfold
Honestly, I don’t know how I really feel about this book. Several times I was tempted to just put it down, but the characters were compelling. There was a need to know the outcome. The characters are rich and real, and very complex.
Honestly, I don’t know how I really feel about this book. Several times I was tempted to just put it down, but the characters were compelling. There was a need to know the outcome. The characters are rich and real, and very complex.
January 26, 2025
I was probably taken in by reviews in choosing to read this book - not the type of book I’d normally choose and as a self confessed Anglophile I’d normally choose an English author over and American. In a word - Mediocre.
February 2, 2025
While it's well written, most of the characters are unlikeable, and the story meanders. An interesting study of human traits and how they can be manipulated and played upon. My final comments: get a grip, Mira. You and Owen need to get out of that house and start somewhere fresh.
October 30, 2020
Strange
I found it weird and oddly depressing. The characters seemed lost within themselves. They loved but didn't know how to love.
I found it weird and oddly depressing. The characters seemed lost within themselves. They loved but didn't know how to love.
April 6, 2023
Enjoyed the depth that the author gave each character. There were more than a few moments that I felt were on the cusp of something darker/more intense happening
February 17, 2016
Mira and Owen are on the slippery downslope of a troubled marriage when ancient TV soap star Wilton Deere moves in next door. He builds a stockpile of dreams of having his estranged daughter Anya make up with him and maybe even live with him but he spends most of his time buying gifts for his new friends, especially Mira. He and Mira strike up a new kind of friendship that soon turns into a fixation as Wilton takes Mira to the casino and the slots where she spends a lot of time and money. Time she has, but money she is not blessed with and soon runs through family accounts as well as the money from her private school. Owen has a tutoring job that he messes up because of broken appointments and fatigue. Not having to meet his appointments means more time to spend trying to figure out the dimensions of Mira’s fixation on Wilton. It becomes obvious that there is no sex going on between them, but that is almost more disturbing to Owen, especially when he becomes fascinated with Wilton’s daughter, Anya, and makes some moves on her. Both Owen and Mira realize they are heading for disaster but neither is willing to admit it to the other until Owen moves out. Mira deals with her addiction on her own while Owen sees his tutoring career end and his world start to crumble in general. Meantime, Wilton is also fading to black and eventually disappears mysteriously. The novel gets into the heart of the marriage and does its best to explain Wilton, but the more we know about him, the less we respect him and our respect for Mira deteriorates as well as Owen simply gives up. Kaplan spends reasonable time on the gambling problems, especially given the title of her work, but she spends much more time analyzing and limning the relationships that make up the focus of the book. I felt that more emphasis on the nature of Mira’s addiction and more surmise as to why it happened would have made the events between Mira and Wilton more understandable. I became hooked on imagining how Kaplan would end this adventure in emotions and ultimately crashed when she decided what to do. The ending reminded me of several cheap endings I have read in which the author gives up on explaining things rationally and relies instead on coincidence and accident. That’s the sleazy way out and I didn’t like it any more than I do in Nicholas Sparks’ works. Okay reading until the last few pages when Kaplan succumbed and gave up on her characters.
December 16, 2013
"It was the essential problem of two -- one would always leave first. That inevitability had hung over them from the beginning."
The book is a primer on all the problems of monogamy and its attendant attempts to possess another person. As such, it is insightful. Except there's never any hope for escape -- everyone is caged without a key, from beginning to end. This isn't a reason in itself to dislike the book. Maybe it's just that jealousy as a plot device fails for me these days, leaving me only irritated. This haggard wish to control another person, to never share any part of them with another person or place or object, never allow them a sense of happiness or satisfaction or completion that doesn't center on you: surprise, it makes everyone miserable. With Owen, a possessive husband, as narrator, this proximity to jealousy makes me squirm, leaves me feeling like Mira, trying to get a little air here, wanting to leave the book like she wants to leave the house. It's like reading Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" for several hundred pages. Except this Duchess is jealous in return -- the one thing she wants more than freedom is for her husband not to have it.
I was also uncomfortable about the sense of menace and violence in the book. The book's focus is the (white) heiresses and movie stars with big houses, incidentally intruded-upon by the "urban" element of the black and the homeless. The criminal element -- lock your doors. Happily, the plot line avoids some kind of racist morality tale by showing how the real monsters and threats are internal to the suburbs and the hearts housed in them.
In the end, maybe the only reason I disliked the book is because all of the characters are assholes, except for Edward and Katherine. The real poignant question of the book would be what it feels like to be a kind and interesting person and have everyone else, including your own children, be selfish and cruel. Unfortunately this isn't explored.
The book is a primer on all the problems of monogamy and its attendant attempts to possess another person. As such, it is insightful. Except there's never any hope for escape -- everyone is caged without a key, from beginning to end. This isn't a reason in itself to dislike the book. Maybe it's just that jealousy as a plot device fails for me these days, leaving me only irritated. This haggard wish to control another person, to never share any part of them with another person or place or object, never allow them a sense of happiness or satisfaction or completion that doesn't center on you: surprise, it makes everyone miserable. With Owen, a possessive husband, as narrator, this proximity to jealousy makes me squirm, leaves me feeling like Mira, trying to get a little air here, wanting to leave the book like she wants to leave the house. It's like reading Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" for several hundred pages. Except this Duchess is jealous in return -- the one thing she wants more than freedom is for her husband not to have it.
I was also uncomfortable about the sense of menace and violence in the book. The book's focus is the (white) heiresses and movie stars with big houses, incidentally intruded-upon by the "urban" element of the black and the homeless. The criminal element -- lock your doors. Happily, the plot line avoids some kind of racist morality tale by showing how the real monsters and threats are internal to the suburbs and the hearts housed in them.
In the end, maybe the only reason I disliked the book is because all of the characters are assholes, except for Edward and Katherine. The real poignant question of the book would be what it feels like to be a kind and interesting person and have everyone else, including your own children, be selfish and cruel. Unfortunately this isn't explored.
August 6, 2013
This book has strong writing and an interesting location - the decaying, once grand, city of Providence. The characters were mostly compelling, but the relationships didn't quite ring true to me either (as another reviewer wrote.) I did feel the book picked up steam toward the end and I loved how it became a real page-turner as I sped through it to see how everything ended. However, I felt everything was wrapped up too much. The threat of violence hung over these characters from the beginning, even though it turns out that words can do almost as much violence as guns. But there was always so much restraint and passivity, that it didn't feel like many of the characters ever had any direct confrontations. Then, at the end, everyone said what they had been hiding all along and all the relationships were neatly tied up.
December 15, 2013
I received this novel as a sort of "desk copy" from Harper-Perennial, and I carried it home because I was captivated by the back-cover summary. One of the main characters is seduced by the slot machines at the local casino. I have never had the slightest interest in casinos, but I am compelled by stories that seek to explore addiction. One of my favorite books is the memoir Drinking, A Love Story by Caroline Knapp. But The Tell doesn't spend a lot of time on Mira's addiction. Even so, I was drawn into the story, which is wonderful for its atmospherics. I was taken with Kaplan's descriptions of Victorian houses and the culture of Providence, Rhode Island.
January 21, 2013
Like an earlier review from Bob -- i was also shocked to learn Hester was a woman. I enjoyed the book immensely. I was taken by the descriptions throughout the book. She played the relationships very well. I typically do not read the extras at the end of a book but was taken to them at the end today. It was interesting to read of her background around authors growing up and her connection to the setting of The Tell.
Her look at houses and buildings as part of the story is much like reading Bill Bryson. It also draws an analogy to how Steinbeck uses nature in his stories.
Her look at houses and buildings as part of the story is much like reading Bill Bryson. It also draws an analogy to how Steinbeck uses nature in his stories.
October 9, 2013
A fascinating tale of a childless couple and the charming new neighbor, a former sitcom star no less, that invades their life and causes them to discover the unspoken truths about their marriage and their lives.
Well written, with finely drawn characters and a compelling narrative, this story is at once a mystery, a family saga, a modern parable, and a commentary on popular culture. Much more intricate and thought provoking than it first appears, this book kept me fully engaged from beginning to end, and beyond.
Well written, with finely drawn characters and a compelling narrative, this story is at once a mystery, a family saga, a modern parable, and a commentary on popular culture. Much more intricate and thought provoking than it first appears, this book kept me fully engaged from beginning to end, and beyond.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews