The Slippage: A Novel
On a quiet suburban street, all is not as it seems in the Day household. William and Louisa appear to be an ordinary married couple, except Louisa is checking out of the marriage in odd ways, and William seems willfully unaware of any problems. While Louisa retreats from social gatherings and displays “no noise and barely any life” as she disappears beneath the bed covers, William continues on autopilot in his corporate job and daily activities. Then Louisa drops a quiet bomb. William is to build her a house on land she secretly bought. The unspoken ultimatum to her desire is simultaneously vague and sinister. In her need to “know for sure that life is moving forward,” the threat of Louisa’s outgrowing both him and the marriage galvanizes William in unexpected ways. Their marital cracks become even more brutally exposed, especially after a woman from William’s past moves into the house across the street. Greenman’s style will appeal to those who appreciate literary fiction that succinctly yet eloquently dissects the contemporary American marriage. --Julie Trevelyan