Anne's research efforts are commendable. Perhaps someday it will be. Unfortunately, it's not in the same league. Set in the same Point Reyes community as Crap Artist, it centers on the story of two neighbors, Leo Runcible and Walt Dombrosio. A mutual hatred festers between them that grows into warfare, each pouncing upon opportunities to discredit or humiliate his opponent.
Chapters mostly alternate between their two stories.
The worst of the novel is that they're the only human beings to be found here. Their wives are blatant stereotypes, the foggy drunk and the castrating bitch. The picture that emerges, particularly in the first half of the novel, is depressing and almost claustrophobic. Characters are trapped inside their roles, shuffling between scenes and angry confrontations. I found it impossible to care for any of the people described because their lives never really emerge from the pages.