The Tell: A Novel
Kaplan, who won the Flannery O’Connor Award for her collection, The Edge of Marriage (1999), again tackles the complexities of an imperfect marriage and the ways in which a dysfunctional family tries to heal itself. Owen and Mira are struggling. The art school Mira runs is dangerously underfunded, and the elementary school at which Owen teaches is due to close at year’s end. Then their home life changes dramatically when Wilton, an aging ex-TV actor, buys the house next door. Wilton lost contact with his daughter years ago and is trying desperately to reestablish their relationship. As that process stalls, Mira becomes a substitute daughter for Wilton, and their frequent visits to a local casino soon create a strain on Owen and Mira’s marriage. Kaplan writes with remarkable acuity about the psychological challenges faced by each of her vulnerable characters, drawing the reader into their struggles to deal with their past mistakes and their attempts to forge a more stable future. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy the psychologically complex work of Annie Proulx, or Stewart O’Nan. --Deborah Donovan