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Blogs by Jerome Parisse
A Gate a the Stairs 7/14/2010 5:43:35 AM
"Are rabbits nocturnal?" I asked.
"Yep."
"Well, why do you see them in the day as well?"
My father was quiet for a long time. "They work in shifts," he said finally.
I love this extract from A Gate at the Stairs By Lorrie Moore, which I have just finished reading. It is a coming of age story, situated in the American Midwest. Tassie accepts a job as a nanny for the African-American adopted baby of a couple, whose dark past we slowly discover. The story is told from Tassie's point of view and tackles issues of racism, adoption, social differences and coming to terms with life, love and hate. The characters are all beautifully drawn and the story keeps getting better. But it is Moore's writing which makes the book a great read. Moore has a knack of choosing the right words, of expressing things in a visual, witty and emotional way. Pictures form before the reader's eyes. She also puts her characters in funny, yet also tragic, situations. I love the first meeting between Tassie, Sarah and the first birth mother: I was litterally laughing when reading the scene. Moore's style is bright, clever and subtle. I will definitely be looking for more of her work.
There are, however, a few elements in the book that disappointed me. First I never really warmed up to Tassie, the main protagonist - I also wondered if she didn't speak a little too cleverly for who she was. I also found that the story gets sometimes bogged down - the middle of the book in particular is too slow. Some dialogues could definitely be cut down. Elements of the plot failed to convince me, such as when characters drop out of the story without clear reasons (the baby, Sarah, the brother...) Last, the writing is beautiful, yes, but ironically enough, sometimes too beautiful for its own good; it attracts too much attention and relegates the story to the background. In spite of these flaws, the book is a great read.
