Having Everything

by John L'Heureux

Philip Tate is a man who has everything -- youth, looks, a beautiful wife and perfect family, a distinguished deanship at Harvard. Having Everything is the story of a nighttime drive that leads Philip to jeopardize it all for a moment's flirtation with the forbidden. For on that drive he will collide with the Kizers -- beautiful, troubled Dixie and brilliant, kinky Hal. By stepping, without knocking, into the Kizers' house and into the midst of their sad marriage, Philip sets in motion the near ruin -- and perhaps the salvation -- of his entire world. Fierce, ironic, and beautifully told, Having Everything reminds us that sometimes -- in marriage, and in life -- having everything is not enough. "A master of understated, ominous moments in a marriage in which not asking a question can be more disastrous than asking it.... Sharp, moving, poignant." -- Lev Raphael, The Washington Post Book World; "John L'Heureux is perhaps today's most frightening novelist because his characters, for all their strange behavior, are not freaks or misfits. They are the people we see and know.... Having Everything is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to become fully human." -- Richard Wakefield, The Seattle Times; "A master of spoof and irony.... As the book moves forward to a conclusion that readers will sense is going to be catastrophic, it is impossible to stop turning its pages." -- Carol Herman, The Washington Times

45 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

John L'Heureux served on both sides of the writing desk: as staff editor and contributing editor for The Atlantic and as the author of sixteen books of poetry and fiction. His stories appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Harper's, The New Yorker, and have frequently been anthologized in Best American Stories and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. His experiences as editor and writer informed and direct his teaching of writing. Starting in 1973, he taught fiction writing, the short story, and dramatic literature at Stanford. In 1981, he received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, and again in 1998. His recent publications include a collection of stories, Comedians, and the novels, The Handmaid of Desire (1996), Having Everything (1999), and The Miracle (2002).

http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/m...

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking novel that considers what "Having Everything" means.

[Ari Raliegh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth reading.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok writing. A group of psychologists and their families that have it all. But just keep doing terrible things to each other. I do not recommend.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly raunchy for a prior Catholic priest, but a very compelling read

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a novel about a couple who should be happy but who fail due to the natural human follies within us all. Things which distinguish this one: breathtaking character development in the protagonists, intriguing secondary characters, impeccable style.

This is one of those books in which you may not particularly care for any of the characters, by the way. This level of character development requires a charming redeeming quality, such as excellent parenthood or a witty internal dialogue, to offset the overdevelopment of flaws, and L'Heureux didn't bother with this.

[Kimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt amiguous, intrigued, bored, disgusted, and then again intrigued by this book. Some of it seemed extraneous, but then something would happen to pull me back in. I wish the characters had been better developed; I guess the point is that they could be Any Person, but I didn't care about them in the end.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Like reading a Lifetime Network Original movie. Wholly unlikeable cast of characters in an absurdly sensationalistic story line. No good. No good at all.