The Leading Indicators
Tom and Margo Helot have a large home in the suburbs, two fancy cars, two girls in private school, and daily deliveries from online stores. Tom works in finance, Margo stays home, and their social calendar is so full, they have to make plans months in advance. They are living the American Dream, but when Tom loses his job just before the 2007 onset of the financial crisis, they are plunged into a cliché of a different kind. While Tom bounces from company to company in the unstable job market, they go from their spacious home to a small townhouse to small apartments. But just when there seems to be no hope left, they find one more card to play. With a conversational tone and ironic humor, Easterbrook, who also writes nonfiction books about the economy, weaves a cautionary essay between the lines of this topical tale of love and sacrifice that will have readers nodding their heads in recognition. Heavy on the social and political commentary, Easterbrook’s novel will especially resonate with those of a liberal persuasion. --Cortney Ophoff