The book club I'm part of just discussed this one as our June read.
The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
Billy is an award-winning playwright. It has been several years since her last play; she has been recovering from the shock of her boyfriend's death. He boarded a plane to Los Angeles on September 11, 2001 and never came home.
The reader meets Billy just as her newest play, The
Lake Shore Limited, debuts to rave reviews. We don't really start to question who Billy is as a person until the action of the play begins to unfold. The play captures the moments after a tragic train crash, as a man is sitting in his living room unsure whether his wife was involved in the crash. The man feels tremendous relief at his anticipated loss. He had been having an affair for many years and was preparing to leave his wife. Her death would save him from a messy and sad conversation.
The remainder of Miller's novel tells the story of a cast of characters connected by Billy and her writing including: Rafe, the star in her latest play; Leslie, the sister of her deceased boyfriend; and Sam, a man interested in dating Billy.
Sounds like all the ingredients for a story you really want to read, right? Or at least something you would tolerate reading because someone else in your book club
really wanted to read it.
Do not be fooled.
The characters had a chance to be really interesting, and some of my favorite stories are about the intersections between characters. It was, however, very difficult to care about these people.
Billy was planning to leave her boyfriend long before he was killed as the plane he was aboard crashed into a building. She just hadn't left yet because it wasn't convenient. Rafe's wife is dying of ALS; he is responsible for her care. Rafe leaves her alone at home without a caregiver while he has sex with Billy.
Like I said - not likable characters.
And, Leslie and Sam are almost certainly included to be exact opposites, total contrasts to Billy and Rafe. They exist simply to show that people can plod through life's tragedies and remain kind and generous. Leslie, though, is just so boring and do-goody that it is difficult to be interested in her. And, Sam just never really takes initiative or jumps into life with enthusiasm. It's hard to cheer for him because he doesn't cheer for himself.
I wanted a novel that was all about how character develops in terrible situations. I got that, but I didn't get characters I was interested in or passionate about.
And, if that wasn't enough. . . There are several gratuitous sexual encounters splattered throughout the book. Once I finally clawed my way through the last of the 400 pages, the characters that mattered ended up together - without a bedroom scene. Really? I read 400 pages for a predictable ending and didn't even get a little smut in the deal. Really?
And a final complaint - The cover illustration / photograph has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story. There is a woman with dog in the story, but it is a much smaller woman and a much bigger dog than the cover. And, there is no water anywhere in the story - not even a drop of water, much less an entire lake.
I would like the several hours of my life spent reading and the $15 spent purchasing the book back, please.
I have high hopes for next month, though:
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.
And, I'm even more excited for August:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I have wanted to read this one for ages, and book club is just the kick I needed.
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