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The Invaders
Over the course of a summer in a wealthy Connecticut community, a forty-something woman and her college-age stepson’s lives fall apart in a series of violent shocks.
Cheryl has never been the right kind of country-club wife. She's always felt like an outsider, and now, in her mid-forties—facing the harsh realities of aging while her marriage disintegrates and her troubled stepson, Teddy, is kicked out of college—she feels cast adrift by the sparkling seaside community of Little Neck Cove, Connecticut. So when Teddy shows up at home just as a storm brewing off the coast threatens to destroy the precarious safe haven of the cove, she joins him in an epic downward spiral.
The Invaders, a searing follow-up to Karolina Waclawiak’s critically acclaimed debut novel, How to Get Into the Twin Palms, casts a harsh light on the glossy sheen of even the most “perfect” lives in America's exclusive beach communities. With sharp wit and dark humor, The Invaders exposes the lies and insecurities that run like faultlines through our culture, threatening to pitch bored housewives, pill-popping children, and suspicious neighbors headlong into the suburban abyss.
Cheryl has never been the right kind of country-club wife. She's always felt like an outsider, and now, in her mid-forties—facing the harsh realities of aging while her marriage disintegrates and her troubled stepson, Teddy, is kicked out of college—she feels cast adrift by the sparkling seaside community of Little Neck Cove, Connecticut. So when Teddy shows up at home just as a storm brewing off the coast threatens to destroy the precarious safe haven of the cove, she joins him in an epic downward spiral.
The Invaders, a searing follow-up to Karolina Waclawiak’s critically acclaimed debut novel, How to Get Into the Twin Palms, casts a harsh light on the glossy sheen of even the most “perfect” lives in America's exclusive beach communities. With sharp wit and dark humor, The Invaders exposes the lies and insecurities that run like faultlines through our culture, threatening to pitch bored housewives, pill-popping children, and suspicious neighbors headlong into the suburban abyss.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2015
42 people are currently reading
2223 people want to read
About the author
Karolina Waclawiak
5 books101 followersKarolina Waclawiak is the author of the critically acclaimed novels How to Get Into the Twin Palms and THE INVADERS.
Her third novel, Life Events, will be published by FSG on May 19, 2020.
AWOL, a feature she co-wrote with Deb Shoval, premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and has received praise from The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Marie Claire, and more.
Formerly an editor at the Believer, she is now the Executive Editor, Culture at BuzzFeed News.
Karolina received her BFA in Screenwriting from USC and her MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, VQR, the Believer, Hazlitt, and other publications.
www.karolinawaclawiak.com
Her third novel, Life Events, will be published by FSG on May 19, 2020.
AWOL, a feature she co-wrote with Deb Shoval, premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and has received praise from The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Marie Claire, and more.
Formerly an editor at the Believer, she is now the Executive Editor, Culture at BuzzFeed News.
Karolina received her BFA in Screenwriting from USC and her MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, VQR, the Believer, Hazlitt, and other publications.
www.karolinawaclawiak.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
August 1, 2015
"It didn't matter if Cheryl had been around almost ten years; she was a bystander
in the relationship with her husband, Jeffrey, and his son, Teddy.
"Teddy had been consistently tired or out of sorts or under the weather since we
found him on the beach at age 'eleven', drunk and stoned".
Cheryl... Step wife ...
And
Teddy...Jeffrey's son...
Are the two main narrators ....'both' feel like fenced-in-outsiders.
These two characters have more in common than they realized.
Jeffrey isn't wanted at school, ( Dartmouth College). He deserved to be kicked out,
but not one friend seemed to give a rats ass.
"They didn't want me around at their parties anymore and I was suddenly known
for having bad drugs--too cut with the under-the-sink garbage. It sucked to know
that no one gave a shit I was leaving. "
When Teddy returns home to "Little Neck Cove", Connecticut, (their wealthy community),
his dad says, "We knew you were having a rough time; we're just happy to have you back".
Teddy laughed at the thought, hoping he could believe it.
Back home...first things first ...not have a serious talk with parents, not have a homecoming
dinner, not go see a therapist... nope......first things first:
"I pulled open my dad's bedside table and look through the pill bottles to find something I could munch on. Heart medicine, arthritis medicine, blister pack of Viagra. I thought later about grabbing some for later, because why not but I checked the expiration date and they were
dunno two years ago. Damn, nothing more depressing than expired Viagra. I put it back where I found it and went through the rest of the bottles. And they're like a beautiful light, was a
half-full bottle of oxycodone. I opened it and my chalky heaven poured out. Thank you, Dad".
Right from the start of this story ... I was curious about Cheryl's awareness of her 'own'
life.
This is a woman who does not feel wanted by her husband. "Jeffrey and I hadn't had
sex in two hundred and twenty-five days".
"When Jeffrey's first wife told me he had a voracious appetite for women, I assumed
she was trying to be vindictive."
Cheryl feels like an outsider with her stepson, her husband, with the other country club,
wives, and the entire privilege suburban beach community.
The only place she feels at peace is during the early dawn ...with no people around.
"I could sit on the beach wall for hours, listening with my eyes closed, sometimes falling asleep completely. The only place I didn't know shut in, claustrophobic unwelcomed".
Cheryl ...mid 40's, by the way....was also astutely aware of her physical body ...and of
other women. She was the type of woman who puts a lot of value into 'looking good'...
as if being 'perfect thin, young, and having smooth skin was a weapon of protection...
and all other women were weak and without armor.
When Cheryl look around at the other 'country-club- wives'... she measure herself UP ...
in better physical shape....yet she knew it was 'the same' for all of them:
"We are now transitioning between desirable and undesirable – – that sad moment when a woman realized that absolutely no man is looking at her, not even a passing glance.
It made us all paralyzed with fear".
The Neighbors ...( the Little Neck Cove Community), voted to build a fence around their
beach because Latino fisherman had been seen urinating between parked cars. THOSE
dirty men...are to be FEARED... (Oh my, they are invading their exclusive suntan-wealthy-whites
dysfunctional lives)! All they needed now...besides their barricaded fencing, were Dobermans
patrolling at night.
"SHE SELLS SEASHELLS DOWN BY THE SEASHORE" .........(NOT in this community) ...
KEEP OUT penis-peeing-vagrants!
Upper-middle-class aggression is in full bloom... life is a crashing catastrophe.
Thank You Regan Arts Publishing, Netgalley, and Karolina Waclawiak...an enjoyable'
witty comic and tragic story.... ( brutal honest moments)
We are not all that different under our skin- each of us is longing to be loved...
for connections that will quell our loneliness.
in the relationship with her husband, Jeffrey, and his son, Teddy.
"Teddy had been consistently tired or out of sorts or under the weather since we
found him on the beach at age 'eleven', drunk and stoned".
Cheryl... Step wife ...
And
Teddy...Jeffrey's son...
Are the two main narrators ....'both' feel like fenced-in-outsiders.
These two characters have more in common than they realized.
Jeffrey isn't wanted at school, ( Dartmouth College). He deserved to be kicked out,
but not one friend seemed to give a rats ass.
"They didn't want me around at their parties anymore and I was suddenly known
for having bad drugs--too cut with the under-the-sink garbage. It sucked to know
that no one gave a shit I was leaving. "
When Teddy returns home to "Little Neck Cove", Connecticut, (their wealthy community),
his dad says, "We knew you were having a rough time; we're just happy to have you back".
Teddy laughed at the thought, hoping he could believe it.
Back home...first things first ...not have a serious talk with parents, not have a homecoming
dinner, not go see a therapist... nope......first things first:
"I pulled open my dad's bedside table and look through the pill bottles to find something I could munch on. Heart medicine, arthritis medicine, blister pack of Viagra. I thought later about grabbing some for later, because why not but I checked the expiration date and they were
dunno two years ago. Damn, nothing more depressing than expired Viagra. I put it back where I found it and went through the rest of the bottles. And they're like a beautiful light, was a
half-full bottle of oxycodone. I opened it and my chalky heaven poured out. Thank you, Dad".
Right from the start of this story ... I was curious about Cheryl's awareness of her 'own'
life.
This is a woman who does not feel wanted by her husband. "Jeffrey and I hadn't had
sex in two hundred and twenty-five days".
"When Jeffrey's first wife told me he had a voracious appetite for women, I assumed
she was trying to be vindictive."
Cheryl feels like an outsider with her stepson, her husband, with the other country club,
wives, and the entire privilege suburban beach community.
The only place she feels at peace is during the early dawn ...with no people around.
"I could sit on the beach wall for hours, listening with my eyes closed, sometimes falling asleep completely. The only place I didn't know shut in, claustrophobic unwelcomed".
Cheryl ...mid 40's, by the way....was also astutely aware of her physical body ...and of
other women. She was the type of woman who puts a lot of value into 'looking good'...
as if being 'perfect thin, young, and having smooth skin was a weapon of protection...
and all other women were weak and without armor.
When Cheryl look around at the other 'country-club- wives'... she measure herself UP ...
in better physical shape....yet she knew it was 'the same' for all of them:
"We are now transitioning between desirable and undesirable – – that sad moment when a woman realized that absolutely no man is looking at her, not even a passing glance.
It made us all paralyzed with fear".
The Neighbors ...( the Little Neck Cove Community), voted to build a fence around their
beach because Latino fisherman had been seen urinating between parked cars. THOSE
dirty men...are to be FEARED... (Oh my, they are invading their exclusive suntan-wealthy-whites
dysfunctional lives)! All they needed now...besides their barricaded fencing, were Dobermans
patrolling at night.
"SHE SELLS SEASHELLS DOWN BY THE SEASHORE" .........(NOT in this community) ...
KEEP OUT penis-peeing-vagrants!
Upper-middle-class aggression is in full bloom... life is a crashing catastrophe.
Thank You Regan Arts Publishing, Netgalley, and Karolina Waclawiak...an enjoyable'
witty comic and tragic story.... ( brutal honest moments)
We are not all that different under our skin- each of us is longing to be loved...
for connections that will quell our loneliness.
February 23, 2016
It's not a good sign that, as I was close to finishing this book, the characters started talking about the possibility of a hurricane coming, and I started rooting for the hurricane to hurry up and wipe out all these vacuous, cliched, two-dimensional characters.
January 30, 2019
While reading this novel I realized that the adjectives book reviewers use don't make a lot of sense. If you were to enjoy reading The Invaders, for example, you might call it "tight," as a complement, as in "a tight novel about the unraveling lives of a country-club-set woman and her stepson." If you thought it was too "tight" though you might call it "thin" which is a word not related semantically to "tight" except in the world of book reviews, where if you squeeze a story too tightly it gets thin.
I wavered as I read between "tight" and "thin" as I read this novel and ended up thinking "thin". While I appreciated the tight lens and the linear drive of the story, in the end there just wasn't enough meat for me to care about the characters. A big disadvantage to the author is that the setting she chose was Cheever territory and she writes without any of the mordant charm or startling juxtapositions or humanity of Cheever--just the drinking and the pool parties and the adultery and the shallowness of people living with too much money and too little imagination.
My other complaint is that the bones of plot were way too exposed, where the crisis points felt manufactured and unrealistic rather than organic to the characters or their story.
All that said, I read to the end. It held my interest that much in spite of these judgmental feelings and I'll probably give the author another try. It feels like a first novel even though it isn't.
I wavered as I read between "tight" and "thin" as I read this novel and ended up thinking "thin". While I appreciated the tight lens and the linear drive of the story, in the end there just wasn't enough meat for me to care about the characters. A big disadvantage to the author is that the setting she chose was Cheever territory and she writes without any of the mordant charm or startling juxtapositions or humanity of Cheever--just the drinking and the pool parties and the adultery and the shallowness of people living with too much money and too little imagination.
My other complaint is that the bones of plot were way too exposed, where the crisis points felt manufactured and unrealistic rather than organic to the characters or their story.
All that said, I read to the end. It held my interest that much in spite of these judgmental feelings and I'll probably give the author another try. It feels like a first novel even though it isn't.
February 24, 2016
www.shelfnotes.com review
Dear Reader,
Take a look at that first sentence... it says it all.
"When Jeffrey's first wife told me he had a voracious appetite for women, I assumed she was just trying to be vindictive."
This is a story centered around the rich Connecticut shoreline snobs, the ones who care what others think, nitpick about everything and judge each other with an evil eye. I know people like this, I live and grew up in Connecticut (even if not in the same social class as these characters). Here's the thing, I've heard people complain that these characters are too over the top... well guess what... they really aren't! These people exist... yep. I hear ya, it's kinda depressing, but it's true.
For those of you who haven't read the book, the characters are full of hot air and get all in a huff when their small beach community threatens to be overrun by "tourists". Fortunately, the main character Cheryl didn't grow up in this social circle and has a little disdain for the ridiculous actions of the others. Unfortunately, Cheryl wants to be included in the social circle and this starts to change who she is. We don't get to see much of her past but with some reminiscent chapters, we can tell she came from lower middle working class. Her family is left behind while she gets swept up in her new husband's life. Understandably, the life he shows her is sparkly and new. Little does she know that what she is leaving behind has value, just as much as this new life.
The Invaders is a Tournament of Books pick, and I'm happy it forced me to read this one. I didn't love it, but I certainly didn't hate it (as some others did). I feel the beauty of the book lies within the characters and the reality of this world. There is a place for this story, these people exist and why not write about them? I won't deny that the ending was completely unsatisfying and confusing but the journey was truthful and relatable. This book isn't to be taken as a light beach read... there is real depth here and it's up to the reader to find it.
Happy Reading,
AmberBug
Dear Reader,
Take a look at that first sentence... it says it all.
"When Jeffrey's first wife told me he had a voracious appetite for women, I assumed she was just trying to be vindictive."
This is a story centered around the rich Connecticut shoreline snobs, the ones who care what others think, nitpick about everything and judge each other with an evil eye. I know people like this, I live and grew up in Connecticut (even if not in the same social class as these characters). Here's the thing, I've heard people complain that these characters are too over the top... well guess what... they really aren't! These people exist... yep. I hear ya, it's kinda depressing, but it's true.
For those of you who haven't read the book, the characters are full of hot air and get all in a huff when their small beach community threatens to be overrun by "tourists". Fortunately, the main character Cheryl didn't grow up in this social circle and has a little disdain for the ridiculous actions of the others. Unfortunately, Cheryl wants to be included in the social circle and this starts to change who she is. We don't get to see much of her past but with some reminiscent chapters, we can tell she came from lower middle working class. Her family is left behind while she gets swept up in her new husband's life. Understandably, the life he shows her is sparkly and new. Little does she know that what she is leaving behind has value, just as much as this new life.
The Invaders is a Tournament of Books pick, and I'm happy it forced me to read this one. I didn't love it, but I certainly didn't hate it (as some others did). I feel the beauty of the book lies within the characters and the reality of this world. There is a place for this story, these people exist and why not write about them? I won't deny that the ending was completely unsatisfying and confusing but the journey was truthful and relatable. This book isn't to be taken as a light beach read... there is real depth here and it's up to the reader to find it.
Happy Reading,
AmberBug
August 2, 2015
This was nutty and strange and ominous and just exactly what I love.
June 27, 2022
2,5/5
Opis fabuły mówi wszystko odnośnie tego o czym jest ta książka. Sęk w tym, że jednocześnie wywołuje wrażenie, że będzie to coś głębszego niż jest. Jak się tak dłużej zastanowić to ta książka to takie trochę rozwinięte streszczenie - ale nie w głąb, żadnych warstw tu nie ma, tylko w szerz i to najczęściej opisami przyrody.
Mimo, że w gruncie rzeczy książka jest o niczym, a poruszane problemy mają krótki, parostronicowy żywot to jednak wzbudza zainteresowanie. Może dlatego, że ci ludzie są tak oderwani od rzeczywistości, wydarzenia zresztą też, że czytelnik zastanawia się o co tu chodzi. Klimat książki, jaki wytwarzają ci bohaterowie, idealnie sprawdził by się przy dłużej książce z lepiej rozwiniętą fabułą. Tutaj autorka niestety najgłębiej weszła w opisy przyrody. Z kolei to co ciekawe potraktowano za każdym razem jakoś powierzchownie, bez większego przekonania i wpływu poszczególnych zdarzeń na dalszą fabułę. To ten typ historii w której wielu rzeczy trzeba się domyśleć, szczególnie jeśli chodzi o motywacje bohaterów. Ja nie bardzo lubię pozostawać z tym sama, bo to z mojego punktu widzenia robota pisarza.
Wydaje mi się, że nikomu tej książki bym nie poleciła, bo nic z niej nie wyniosłam. Mimo tego nie żałuję lektury bo to było interesujące przeżycie. Po lekturze myślę, że wiele negatywnych opinii wynika nie z tego, że ta książka to totalny gniot (za duże słowa, mimo że nie ma rewelacji), tylko z irytacji jej bohaterami i tym jakich wyborów dokonują.
Opis fabuły mówi wszystko odnośnie tego o czym jest ta książka. Sęk w tym, że jednocześnie wywołuje wrażenie, że będzie to coś głębszego niż jest. Jak się tak dłużej zastanowić to ta książka to takie trochę rozwinięte streszczenie - ale nie w głąb, żadnych warstw tu nie ma, tylko w szerz i to najczęściej opisami przyrody.
Mimo, że w gruncie rzeczy książka jest o niczym, a poruszane problemy mają krótki, parostronicowy żywot to jednak wzbudza zainteresowanie. Może dlatego, że ci ludzie są tak oderwani od rzeczywistości, wydarzenia zresztą też, że czytelnik zastanawia się o co tu chodzi. Klimat książki, jaki wytwarzają ci bohaterowie, idealnie sprawdził by się przy dłużej książce z lepiej rozwiniętą fabułą. Tutaj autorka niestety najgłębiej weszła w opisy przyrody. Z kolei to co ciekawe potraktowano za każdym razem jakoś powierzchownie, bez większego przekonania i wpływu poszczególnych zdarzeń na dalszą fabułę. To ten typ historii w której wielu rzeczy trzeba się domyśleć, szczególnie jeśli chodzi o motywacje bohaterów. Ja nie bardzo lubię pozostawać z tym sama, bo to z mojego punktu widzenia robota pisarza.
Wydaje mi się, że nikomu tej książki bym nie poleciła, bo nic z niej nie wyniosłam. Mimo tego nie żałuję lektury bo to było interesujące przeżycie. Po lekturze myślę, że wiele negatywnych opinii wynika nie z tego, że ta książka to totalny gniot (za duże słowa, mimo że nie ma rewelacji), tylko z irytacji jej bohaterami i tym jakich wyborów dokonują.
July 7, 2015
Do not be deceived by the happy pool and float toys on the cover of Karolina Waclawiak's "The Invaders" -- this is no mindless beach read. Waclawiak has delivered an honest, scathing (and depressing) look at class, status, and race in wealthy Connecticut beach town -- a town "far away enough from New York to feel like we were in a different world, but close enough to have successful commuter husbands."
The story has two narrators: Cheryl and Teddy.
40-something Cheryl, Jeffrey's second wife, is losing her "trophy wife" status as she ages. She doesn't come from the right kind of background to have ever made a connection with any of the country-club wives, and her own family has written her off as a phony. Her husband is mostly absent -- physically and emotionally -- and having always relied on her appearance, she doesn't know what to do: "We were now transitioning between desirable and undesirable -- that sad moment when a woman realized that absolutely no man is looking at her, not even a passing glance. It made us all paralyzed with fear."
Jeffrey's son, Teddy, has led a life of absolute privilege and knows this privilege earns him the right to coast: "I had a leg up and that made it easier to slack off. I didn't have to work at the feverish pace that new guys worked when they came from nothing. I knew I was lucky. When my father used to take me to his office, I could pick them out. They worked like it meant something and never took vacations. They were trying to surpass their numbers...The guys like me, who came from where I come from, had a little bit of a wrinkle in their shirts, and sometimes decided Top-Siders counted as proper office attire. Those were my people." When we meet him he's strung out on drugs and has just gotten kicked out of Dartmouth. No matter, his father is getting him hooked up with a job.
Everything continues its downhill spiral in "The Invaders" as the people in the neighborhood decide to build a fence around the beach after a few Latino fishermen are seen fishing on the rocks; an attack in the woods leaves the neighborhood frightened; and a hurricane threatens the coast.
Thank you to NetGalley and Regan Arts for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story has two narrators: Cheryl and Teddy.
40-something Cheryl, Jeffrey's second wife, is losing her "trophy wife" status as she ages. She doesn't come from the right kind of background to have ever made a connection with any of the country-club wives, and her own family has written her off as a phony. Her husband is mostly absent -- physically and emotionally -- and having always relied on her appearance, she doesn't know what to do: "We were now transitioning between desirable and undesirable -- that sad moment when a woman realized that absolutely no man is looking at her, not even a passing glance. It made us all paralyzed with fear."
Jeffrey's son, Teddy, has led a life of absolute privilege and knows this privilege earns him the right to coast: "I had a leg up and that made it easier to slack off. I didn't have to work at the feverish pace that new guys worked when they came from nothing. I knew I was lucky. When my father used to take me to his office, I could pick them out. They worked like it meant something and never took vacations. They were trying to surpass their numbers...The guys like me, who came from where I come from, had a little bit of a wrinkle in their shirts, and sometimes decided Top-Siders counted as proper office attire. Those were my people." When we meet him he's strung out on drugs and has just gotten kicked out of Dartmouth. No matter, his father is getting him hooked up with a job.
Everything continues its downhill spiral in "The Invaders" as the people in the neighborhood decide to build a fence around the beach after a few Latino fishermen are seen fishing on the rocks; an attack in the woods leaves the neighborhood frightened; and a hurricane threatens the coast.
Thank you to NetGalley and Regan Arts for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2016
This book tries hard to shock the reader, and ends up leaving you feeling squicky. If you read this, I recommend doing it all in one sitting so you don't have the chance to think about what you're actually reading; each "twist" is more absurd and appalling than the last, but the full weight of its ludicrousness might not hit you if you read quickly enough (maybe?).
SPOILERS. (A lot of them.)
When Cheryl catches someone masturbating, I thought ew but okay, now we're seeing the seedy underbelly I guess-- though we hadn't really seen the flowery overbelly yet (and never do). Then when Steven attacks Cheryl, I thought there was even a brief moment of authenticity when he accused her of "wanting it" and she, in mortification, wondered if she had projected that and the attack was her fault. But then suddenly it's Cheryl running in front of a car, it's Teddy becoming paralyzed, it's Cheryl stripping for her would-be rapist, it's Jeffrey urinating on her flowers, it's Teddy stalking a married woman, it's Jeffrey getting arrested and his own son watching but mysteriously failing to recognize him, it's Cheryl falling in love(ish) with her would-be rapist, and on and on in a spiral of escalating melodrama. Character motivations change because they're so false and ridiculous it barely matters, and the story gets more off-putting by the second.
I tried to understand why this book failed so hard at something that many others have done successfully. The dark-side-of-paradise idea is hardly new, nor is it the first time we've seen it leveled against country clubs and suburban housewives. Part of it may be that every character, every scene, seemed constructed just to get under the reader's skin and creep her out, with no thought for continuity, logic, or realism. The novel tries impossibly hard to be "Twin Peaks: Connecticut Beach Town Edition," but it lacks the humor and the deliberate, unfurling pace. And even "Twin Peaks" had the decency to treat its darker plot elements with gravity. It was never as reductive as "my son's face was smashed up, arrest a poor person!"-- and when two characters had strange, stilted conversations, you knew that something more was happening underneath the surface, and it wasn't just shoddy writing about inexplicably-motivated paper dolls.
SPOILERS. (A lot of them.)
When Cheryl catches someone masturbating, I thought ew but okay, now we're seeing the seedy underbelly I guess-- though we hadn't really seen the flowery overbelly yet (and never do). Then when Steven attacks Cheryl, I thought there was even a brief moment of authenticity when he accused her of "wanting it" and she, in mortification, wondered if she had projected that and the attack was her fault. But then suddenly it's Cheryl running in front of a car, it's Teddy becoming paralyzed, it's Cheryl stripping for her would-be rapist, it's Jeffrey urinating on her flowers, it's Teddy stalking a married woman, it's Jeffrey getting arrested and his own son watching but mysteriously failing to recognize him, it's Cheryl falling in love(ish) with her would-be rapist, and on and on in a spiral of escalating melodrama. Character motivations change because they're so false and ridiculous it barely matters, and the story gets more off-putting by the second.
I tried to understand why this book failed so hard at something that many others have done successfully. The dark-side-of-paradise idea is hardly new, nor is it the first time we've seen it leveled against country clubs and suburban housewives. Part of it may be that every character, every scene, seemed constructed just to get under the reader's skin and creep her out, with no thought for continuity, logic, or realism. The novel tries impossibly hard to be "Twin Peaks: Connecticut Beach Town Edition," but it lacks the humor and the deliberate, unfurling pace. And even "Twin Peaks" had the decency to treat its darker plot elements with gravity. It was never as reductive as "my son's face was smashed up, arrest a poor person!"-- and when two characters had strange, stilted conversations, you knew that something more was happening underneath the surface, and it wasn't just shoddy writing about inexplicably-motivated paper dolls.
February 22, 2016
I almost let the low star rating dissuade me from this Tournament of Books title. I put the book on hold at the library when the 2016 short list first came out. When the book finally came available to me, the star rating was 3.00. I almost never read anything below 3.5 star rating but I had just discarded another book and this was the only one available. I'm thankful for these circumstances because I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Invaders. From the first few sentences I knew I would like the characters and storyline. Well, maybe not like the characters personally, but they were interesting and intriguing and kept my rapt attention throughout the silliness of their lives. Silliness, but also real life, day to day struggles that many people deal with, as they age and in their 20s. The two main narrators are Cheryl and her stepson, Teddy. Wealthy, and that is part of their problem, but aging and not desired by her husband, Cheryl tries to be a mother, although at a distance, to drop out, pain killer addicted, Teddy. Their rich beach front neighborhood becomes paranoid to "invaders" and attackers and Cheryl is seeing other boys, yes boys attractive. Funny, pitifully sad, but oh so real life is portrayed in this well written novel.
February 2, 2016
Another 2016 Tournament of Books entry. This for me was okay, but has left me scratching my head a bit. The book is filled with unlikeable characters behaving badly, typically something right up my alley. However, in this case a fair amount of the bad behavior just wasn't believable. This held my interest and the story moved at a good clip, but for me it was just okay. 2 stars.
January 13, 2016
***SPOILERS***
***SPOILERS***
not even in fiction does it fly that a woman allows her attempted rapist into her bed just because the husband she has nothing in common with no longer wants to live with her in a rich, racist community she can't stand. plot line, plop line.
***SPOILERS***
not even in fiction does it fly that a woman allows her attempted rapist into her bed just because the husband she has nothing in common with no longer wants to live with her in a rich, racist community she can't stand. plot line, plop line.
October 1, 2015
***3.5 Stars***
May 17, 2016
I do not understand why this novel has such a low rating. I really don't. I almost didn't pick it up, because I saw the 2.96 rating (sorry, but what the...?) and thought it must be horrible.
Well, I'm glad I gave it a try, because it was pretty good.
The Invaders is a character driven novel. Our main protagonist and narrator is fourty-four year-old Cheryl, who sees her marriage disintegrating and is at a loss on what to do. She's spent ten years with her much older husband, and their relationship has slowly become glacial. Despite being a part of the community for over ten years, Cheryl still feels like an outsider and she knows she's never been fully accepted.
When her step son, Teddy, returns home, after being kicked out of college, things start unravelling even more.
While this novel wasn't perfect (I didn't get why Teddy was the other narrator in this novel), I found Cheryl's observations and ruminations quite captivating and some of them relatable.
There are no likeable characters in this novel. The women are dissatisfied and work hard to stay desirable to the men, whereas the men, work long hours and have affairs with younger women.
The Invaders takes a good look at relationships, marriage, at the people living in those perfect beach communities and their "perfect" lives. Despite the affluence, nobody seems to be happy. Everybody is pretending. And aren't the afluent, white people entitled assholes or what?
Now I need to read something really fluffy and uplifting because this novel depressed the hell out of me.
I've received this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 4.5 stars
Well, I'm glad I gave it a try, because it was pretty good.
The Invaders is a character driven novel. Our main protagonist and narrator is fourty-four year-old Cheryl, who sees her marriage disintegrating and is at a loss on what to do. She's spent ten years with her much older husband, and their relationship has slowly become glacial. Despite being a part of the community for over ten years, Cheryl still feels like an outsider and she knows she's never been fully accepted.
When her step son, Teddy, returns home, after being kicked out of college, things start unravelling even more.
While this novel wasn't perfect (I didn't get why Teddy was the other narrator in this novel), I found Cheryl's observations and ruminations quite captivating and some of them relatable.
There are no likeable characters in this novel. The women are dissatisfied and work hard to stay desirable to the men, whereas the men, work long hours and have affairs with younger women.
The Invaders takes a good look at relationships, marriage, at the people living in those perfect beach communities and their "perfect" lives. Despite the affluence, nobody seems to be happy. Everybody is pretending. And aren't the afluent, white people entitled assholes or what?
Now I need to read something really fluffy and uplifting because this novel depressed the hell out of me.
I've received this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Cover: 4.5 stars
July 25, 2015
From the literary school of "woe is me" in the upper middle class suburbs, this novel skewers the lifestyle and white privilege of its inhabitants. The parents,the children the institutions- no one is left unscathed. It is well written but for me it ended there and didn't go much deeper. Ted Thompson's "The Land of Steady Habits" and AM Homes "May We be Forgiven" tread similar territory and do it with more depth and nuance.
July 12, 2015
The story is told from two viewpoints, Cheryl married to Jeffrey, and Teddy, Jeffrey's son by his first marriage. They live in an exclusive and elitist beachside area and Cheryl tries her best to fit in with these people who have nothing better to do than play tennis and party. A Mexican fisherman is regarded as someone to be feared - he taints their exclusivity. Teddy lost his mother when quite young and has never gotten over it so drifts his way through life under a drug and alcohol induced haze. Jeffrey copes by being absent. And Cheryl struggles with it all by herself.
The problem I had with this story was that it failed to grip me in any way. The characters weren't drawn strongly enough for me to be able to visualise them. The plot was flimsy and the writing unremarkable. I failed to see the point of the whole thing. I gave it two stars simply because I read it all but overall I was very disappointed.
The problem I had with this story was that it failed to grip me in any way. The characters weren't drawn strongly enough for me to be able to visualise them. The plot was flimsy and the writing unremarkable. I failed to see the point of the whole thing. I gave it two stars simply because I read it all but overall I was very disappointed.
March 8, 2016
I love the idea of this book, but the execution is just too on the surface -- you can see all of the plot machinery turning. It's the book equivalent of a dress with an exposed zipper. It feels more like an outline than an actual novel, which makes it very hard to fully engage with it.
Still, I'm awarding a bonus star for an strong and effective ending -- strong enough that I'll keep an eye out for the author's next book.
Still, I'm awarding a bonus star for an strong and effective ending -- strong enough that I'll keep an eye out for the author's next book.
September 15, 2015
If you want to feel depressed then this is the book to read. Otherwise, skip it.
October 16, 2015
I don't think I should read books reviewed in the New Yorker any more
January 22, 2016
The Short of It:
No calm water here. This beach-front community is on the verge of ruin and the frenetic energy of its characters comes bursting out in strange and unusual ways.
The Rest of It:
The story revolves around the inhabitants of a country-club community located along the Connecticut shoreline. Beach-front properties, club houses, sparkling pools filled with forty-something-year-old women trying to look good for anyone who will look at them, and the disgusting tourists that force themselves upon the beach with their dirty little dogs and whiny kids. Yes, it’s a story of US versus THEM and although it’s a little strange to follow, it’s just so juicy to read.
The story is told in alternating points of view between Cheryl and her adult stepson, Teddy. Cheryl is married to Teddy’s father Jeffrey. Cheryl is Jeffrey’s second wife. Although she was a trophy wife when she first moved in, ten years has aged her and her relationship with Jeffrey is hardly a relationship at all. With him gone all the time for work, Cheryl spends her days gardening, taking long walks and paying far too much attention to what is going on in the so-called community.
Teddy, is Cheryl’s adult stepson who returns home after getting booted out of college. He’s hooked on painkillers, sex and seems intent on making poor choices but there’s a sadness to Teddy that you can’t ignore and when he and Cheryl begin to fall apart at the same time but in totally different ways, it’s impossible to know what will happen.
The Invaders puts you right in the middle of the story. I could smell the sea air, hear the water splashing and feel the tension of that tight-knit community along with all of its airs and affluence and yes, sadness. There is much sadness in-between these pages. There’s also, a rawness to the story that leaves you a little off kilter.
It’s hard to like anyone in this novel. Everyone is stripped down and flayed bare but the complexities between the characters and the struggles they have within their own lives is what makes them so interesting.
I’ve never read a book that I liked and hated as much as this one. I’d flip a page and hate it and then I’d read a paragraph and love it again. I kept going back and forth like that throughout the entire book! In the end, I think I’m safe in saying that it impressed me but that ending! Boy!
This book may have a beach setting but it’s not a lighthearted read. It’s filled with desperate people who really just want to be loved. It’s dreadful but at the same time, so good.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
No calm water here. This beach-front community is on the verge of ruin and the frenetic energy of its characters comes bursting out in strange and unusual ways.
The Rest of It:
The story revolves around the inhabitants of a country-club community located along the Connecticut shoreline. Beach-front properties, club houses, sparkling pools filled with forty-something-year-old women trying to look good for anyone who will look at them, and the disgusting tourists that force themselves upon the beach with their dirty little dogs and whiny kids. Yes, it’s a story of US versus THEM and although it’s a little strange to follow, it’s just so juicy to read.
The story is told in alternating points of view between Cheryl and her adult stepson, Teddy. Cheryl is married to Teddy’s father Jeffrey. Cheryl is Jeffrey’s second wife. Although she was a trophy wife when she first moved in, ten years has aged her and her relationship with Jeffrey is hardly a relationship at all. With him gone all the time for work, Cheryl spends her days gardening, taking long walks and paying far too much attention to what is going on in the so-called community.
Teddy, is Cheryl’s adult stepson who returns home after getting booted out of college. He’s hooked on painkillers, sex and seems intent on making poor choices but there’s a sadness to Teddy that you can’t ignore and when he and Cheryl begin to fall apart at the same time but in totally different ways, it’s impossible to know what will happen.
The Invaders puts you right in the middle of the story. I could smell the sea air, hear the water splashing and feel the tension of that tight-knit community along with all of its airs and affluence and yes, sadness. There is much sadness in-between these pages. There’s also, a rawness to the story that leaves you a little off kilter.
It’s hard to like anyone in this novel. Everyone is stripped down and flayed bare but the complexities between the characters and the struggles they have within their own lives is what makes them so interesting.
I’ve never read a book that I liked and hated as much as this one. I’d flip a page and hate it and then I’d read a paragraph and love it again. I kept going back and forth like that throughout the entire book! In the end, I think I’m safe in saying that it impressed me but that ending! Boy!
This book may have a beach setting but it’s not a lighthearted read. It’s filled with desperate people who really just want to be loved. It’s dreadful but at the same time, so good.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
June 20, 2015
*I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway!*
This is a brutal and humorous indictment of privilege and a look at racism, alienation, and classism set in the upper crust Connecticut beach town of Little Neck Cove. I loved it. Our narrators are Cheryl, a dissatisfied 40-something second wife of a mostly absent husband whose humble roots have barred her from true acceptance from her neighbors, and Teddy, Cheryl's aimless stepson who has just been kicked out of Dartmouth for bad behavior.
The presence of a Latino fisherman urinating between parked cars incites the fury of residents who views the man's presence as an assault on their sheltered community. A literal white wall is swiftly built to keep him and all other unwanted citizens out. This is only the beginning of the turmoil ahead for our protagonists and their neighbors.
This is a dark and biting book that I engulfed in two sittings - I completely recommend it.
This is a brutal and humorous indictment of privilege and a look at racism, alienation, and classism set in the upper crust Connecticut beach town of Little Neck Cove. I loved it. Our narrators are Cheryl, a dissatisfied 40-something second wife of a mostly absent husband whose humble roots have barred her from true acceptance from her neighbors, and Teddy, Cheryl's aimless stepson who has just been kicked out of Dartmouth for bad behavior.
The presence of a Latino fisherman urinating between parked cars incites the fury of residents who views the man's presence as an assault on their sheltered community. A literal white wall is swiftly built to keep him and all other unwanted citizens out. This is only the beginning of the turmoil ahead for our protagonists and their neighbors.
This is a dark and biting book that I engulfed in two sittings - I completely recommend it.
August 15, 2015
I loved this book. It was so much more than a book about rich people. The story is set in a wealthy, coastal community but as I was reading it I thought it could very well be my street with all of the gossip & women scared to death of any Hispanic or black worker or service person who shows up in our neighborhood. So many issues both openly & subtly addressed in this work, not the least of which are racism & class warfare. I loved the relationship between Teddy & his stepmom. I thought the portrayal of the husband was stereotypical & yet spot on as far as some dads I've met who run in social circles like this. I could have read it in a day & once I was finished I wanted more. Some sexual references that might disturb the easily disturbed & some language. None of which bothered me. I now want to read her first book & I hope she publishes more.
January 17, 2016
Set in a wealthy oceanfront community in Connecticut, The Invaders examines wealth inequality, marital infidelity, elitism, materialism, and social mores. Told alternately from the perspective of Cheryl, the 10-year (and still unwelcome) "new" resident, and Teddy, her stepson, the story of the exclusive Little Neck Cove becomes brilliantly alive. Between the golfing husbands, the lonely wives, the pressure for perfection, the unrelenting competition, and the desire to whitewash their community, Little Neck Cove is a hotbed of rising tempers, resentful settling, and family discord. As Cheryl and her husband, Jeffrey, realize their marriage is just one among the many currently unraveling in their community, there is more devastation swirling on the horizon. A stinging, biting commentary on the state of the wealthy in modern times, The Invaders is not to be missed.
May 28, 2015
For the first five pages you think you're reading an essay in Better Homes and Gardens and then BAM, you're thigh-high in a steaming mess of cruelty, deceit, sexual perversion, addiction, and xenophobia. A stunning evisceration of white privilege. Loved it. My full review is on Electric Literature:
http://electricliterature.com/the-inv...
http://electricliterature.com/the-inv...
November 15, 2015
Gripping, hilarious, engaging, sad. This is a perfect example of awful people you want to keep reading about.
March 25, 2023
Such a strange book. The "invaders" are, perhaps, the people who don't belong in the little upper class enclave of Little Neck Cove. But the story is told from Cheryl and Teddy's point of view. Cheryl is Teddy's stepmother. She's been married to his father, Jeffrey, for awhile and the relationship has gone cold. Teddy is a pill popping, college dropout. His mother died from a drunken tumble. He has a car accident which leaves an arm numb. He seems to decide to turn his life around then.
The whole community is a bit pathetic and a bit perverted. Cheryl is a tragic case. She has nothing of her own. Everything is wrapped up in Jeffrey, but he has moved on to the new lust object. We get glimpses of her past but she doesn't work very hard to reconnect. A hurricane is brewing. Most everyone evacuates but Cheryl.
The whole community is a bit pathetic and a bit perverted. Cheryl is a tragic case. She has nothing of her own. Everything is wrapped up in Jeffrey, but he has moved on to the new lust object. We get glimpses of her past but she doesn't work very hard to reconnect. A hurricane is brewing. Most everyone evacuates but Cheryl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2023
I was with it up until the end waiting for a why, and then I *really* wanted a why.
August 23, 2015
For the full review check out If These Books Could Talk
There’s a particularly type of drama on tv these days. You know the one – where you spend most of your time peeking through your fingers, while your toes curl at the sheer awfulness of what’s happening on screen? It’s either through embarrassment for characters we love to hate (think Pete Campbell in Madmen) or despise with a passion (think Pete Campbell in Madmen), but we see it through to the bitter end, hoping that somehow they get their just deserts. Sometimes it’s the same with books, particularly contemporary literature that tries hard (often too hard) to entertain while commentating on modern life’s woes. ‘The Invaders’ is one such book, and it’s way off the mark.
Told completely from the point of view of two characters, Karolina Waclawiak immediately restricts the narrative, leaving the reader with little doubt that they’re being led a merry dance by very unreliable narrators. Cheryl, the isolated ‘second wife’ of a cold, unloving businessmen, and Teddy, her entitled, pill-popping, step-son are those very narrators – and they’re truly horrible people. But then again, so is everyone else in this suburban nightmare, and nobody escapes Waclawiak’s biting tone.
While ‘The Invaders’ is clearly a two-hander, there are several supporting characters, but there’s no real focus on any of them and barring the husband Jeffrey and the weird teen son of a neighbour, so they’re instantly forgettable. This lack of depth to secondary characters would make you think that all the work was put into our main protagonists, but unfortunately they are void of any real personality, leaving them as mere check-lists of humanities faults.
‘The Invaders’ is a raw commentary on the pitfalls of middle-class suburban life, full of stinging barbs and swipes at the pomposity, racism, and fear-mongering so rife in communities today. But ironically, it’s just as soulless as the phenomenon it’s railing against.
There’s a particularly type of drama on tv these days. You know the one – where you spend most of your time peeking through your fingers, while your toes curl at the sheer awfulness of what’s happening on screen? It’s either through embarrassment for characters we love to hate (think Pete Campbell in Madmen) or despise with a passion (think Pete Campbell in Madmen), but we see it through to the bitter end, hoping that somehow they get their just deserts. Sometimes it’s the same with books, particularly contemporary literature that tries hard (often too hard) to entertain while commentating on modern life’s woes. ‘The Invaders’ is one such book, and it’s way off the mark.
Told completely from the point of view of two characters, Karolina Waclawiak immediately restricts the narrative, leaving the reader with little doubt that they’re being led a merry dance by very unreliable narrators. Cheryl, the isolated ‘second wife’ of a cold, unloving businessmen, and Teddy, her entitled, pill-popping, step-son are those very narrators – and they’re truly horrible people. But then again, so is everyone else in this suburban nightmare, and nobody escapes Waclawiak’s biting tone.
While ‘The Invaders’ is clearly a two-hander, there are several supporting characters, but there’s no real focus on any of them and barring the husband Jeffrey and the weird teen son of a neighbour, so they’re instantly forgettable. This lack of depth to secondary characters would make you think that all the work was put into our main protagonists, but unfortunately they are void of any real personality, leaving them as mere check-lists of humanities faults.
‘The Invaders’ is a raw commentary on the pitfalls of middle-class suburban life, full of stinging barbs and swipes at the pomposity, racism, and fear-mongering so rife in communities today. But ironically, it’s just as soulless as the phenomenon it’s railing against.
July 15, 2015
*I received this book as an ARC from Goodreads First Reads.*
I'm going to start by saying this is a good book. It's an excellent summer read, a well-written, captivating page turner, and above all, a quick read. I have to say that as much as I love sweeping epics, it's so nice to pick up a book that won't take me months to get through. Also, as much as I love my sci-fi/fantasy and magical realism novels, it's refreshing to read a book about normal people living real lives that aren't marked by completing a quest or saving the world.
That being said, what I struggle with with literary fiction novels is the rambling progression of the story without a clear plot. This book did not help me with that problem.
Though it started as a very interesting peek into the lives and scandals of the wealthy residents of the town of Little Neck Cove (similar to the Hamptons or any other wealthy beachside New England towns), it didn't really go much deeper. As the town became more and more exclusive and added more barriers to the outside "miscreants" of the world who didn't share their tax bracket, I expected to see how our protagonist Cheryl would react. Instead I was left with a picture of what her life was becoming, which though interesting, seemed disparate from what was happening in the town. I wanted to love this novel, but in the end I was left disappointed, unable to connect with Cheryl or Teddy, and unable to empathize with their actions.
Overall this is a nice summer read, however not a particularly memorable one.
I would recommend this book for light reading, but would not categorize it as a life-changing, must-read novel of 2015; which most likely is not what the author was trying to accomplish anyway.
I'm going to start by saying this is a good book. It's an excellent summer read, a well-written, captivating page turner, and above all, a quick read. I have to say that as much as I love sweeping epics, it's so nice to pick up a book that won't take me months to get through. Also, as much as I love my sci-fi/fantasy and magical realism novels, it's refreshing to read a book about normal people living real lives that aren't marked by completing a quest or saving the world.
That being said, what I struggle with with literary fiction novels is the rambling progression of the story without a clear plot. This book did not help me with that problem.
Though it started as a very interesting peek into the lives and scandals of the wealthy residents of the town of Little Neck Cove (similar to the Hamptons or any other wealthy beachside New England towns), it didn't really go much deeper. As the town became more and more exclusive and added more barriers to the outside "miscreants" of the world who didn't share their tax bracket, I expected to see how our protagonist Cheryl would react. Instead I was left with a picture of what her life was becoming, which though interesting, seemed disparate from what was happening in the town. I wanted to love this novel, but in the end I was left disappointed, unable to connect with Cheryl or Teddy, and unable to empathize with their actions.
Overall this is a nice summer read, however not a particularly memorable one.
I would recommend this book for light reading, but would not categorize it as a life-changing, must-read novel of 2015; which most likely is not what the author was trying to accomplish anyway.
February 14, 2016
As I was reading this book the following questions popped kept popping up in my head:
• Who is the intended audience for this book?
• Is this satire?
• Why the reference in many reviews to “How to Get Into the Twin Palms?
For me this was a story of a self-contained community where the resident’s self-esteem is built on excluding others that were not of the same mold. Their pettiness, discrimination, arrogance and ignorance just wore on my nerves. It was really pitiful how they saw themselves as betters and morally superior to those not included in their circles and their circling reasoning that others were looking to “take something” from them. To illustrate these points the story centers on two characters – Cheryl, now a 40-something woman who married up and was never accepted by the community whose husband/marriage is over and Teddy, her stepson whose “luck” is on the downswing now that he does fit the physically fit and rising star model of the community.
As I read the story – I get saying – “duh” over and over as the storyline seemed to destruct as the characters seemed to hold on to their pasts and did not seem to understand the sayings – people smiling in your face as they work against you and you cannot make someone like/love you and now that this is not working out for you, you need to make the best deal for yourself so you can move on.
I think I needed to take that advice and have left this book alone.
• Who is the intended audience for this book?
• Is this satire?
• Why the reference in many reviews to “How to Get Into the Twin Palms?
For me this was a story of a self-contained community where the resident’s self-esteem is built on excluding others that were not of the same mold. Their pettiness, discrimination, arrogance and ignorance just wore on my nerves. It was really pitiful how they saw themselves as betters and morally superior to those not included in their circles and their circling reasoning that others were looking to “take something” from them. To illustrate these points the story centers on two characters – Cheryl, now a 40-something woman who married up and was never accepted by the community whose husband/marriage is over and Teddy, her stepson whose “luck” is on the downswing now that he does fit the physically fit and rising star model of the community.
As I read the story – I get saying – “duh” over and over as the storyline seemed to destruct as the characters seemed to hold on to their pasts and did not seem to understand the sayings – people smiling in your face as they work against you and you cannot make someone like/love you and now that this is not working out for you, you need to make the best deal for yourself so you can move on.
I think I needed to take that advice and have left this book alone.
July 16, 2015
In the first two pages we learn that the seashore at dawn is the only place where the main character doesn't feel unwelcome, and where she actually feels any bliss and connection. And everything in the book unfolds from that initial awareness.
I like the way the author writes fading masculinity; a subtle symphony of impotence and urine dribbles and scotch and simmering frustration. Sure we all know about the interchangability of trophy wives for younger models and how the previous models conveniently vanish. Lots of authors write those people well enough, and gossipy busybodies and horny unfulfilled wives and status whores and the sadness of boner pills. But what does a man do when a beautiful woman looks at him and thinks OLD (not older) man, before he becomes invisible entirely? The author has a nice touch with the aging and nearly irrelevant male.
lThe truly atrocious characters in this book are fairly two-dimensional, although still entertaining. It is the characters that are deeply flawed but not atrocious (everyone else, including the 2 narrators) that are compelling and make the novel worth reading.. Although like Teddy says, "it's hard to find someone who gave a shit about you."
I like the way the author writes fading masculinity; a subtle symphony of impotence and urine dribbles and scotch and simmering frustration. Sure we all know about the interchangability of trophy wives for younger models and how the previous models conveniently vanish. Lots of authors write those people well enough, and gossipy busybodies and horny unfulfilled wives and status whores and the sadness of boner pills. But what does a man do when a beautiful woman looks at him and thinks OLD (not older) man, before he becomes invisible entirely? The author has a nice touch with the aging and nearly irrelevant male.
lThe truly atrocious characters in this book are fairly two-dimensional, although still entertaining. It is the characters that are deeply flawed but not atrocious (everyone else, including the 2 narrators) that are compelling and make the novel worth reading.. Although like Teddy says, "it's hard to find someone who gave a shit about you."
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