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Ménage
Heather and Mack McKay seem to have it all: wealth, a dream house in the suburbs, and two adorable children along with the nannies to raise them. But their marriage has lost its savor: she is a frustrated writer and he longs for a cultural trophy to hang on his belt.
During a chance encounter in LA, Mack invites exiled writer Zoltan Barbu—once lionized as a political hero,...more
During a chance encounter in LA, Mack invites exiled writer Zoltan Barbu—once lionized as a political hero,...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 15th 2012
by Other Press
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Premise: Rising-star green architect Mack meets renowned author Zoltar at the funeral of woman they both found hot, but that only Zoltan was having actually sex with. Mack's wife, Heather, who believes and is never contradicted in her belief that Mack was having sex with the now dead hot woman, will be impressed that Mack met Zoltan! It turns out, Zoltan needs a patron (yes, a patron) so Mack decides to bring Zoltan home so he can live and work in Mack's fabulous green home. Kind of as a present...more
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I loved this book at the beginning and wasn't sure how I felt by the end. It's dry and funny, and also sad, both in a bored elite middle class Connecticut way - think Richard Yates meets The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I do really admire how the author shifts seamlessly from one character's perspective to the next without relying upon chapter breaks to signal the reader, and without alienating us from either character.
Despite my ambivalence, I think this one might stick with me for a while, as th...more
Despite my ambivalence, I think this one might stick with me for a while, as th...more
I read Menage as a Netgalley Advanced Reader Copy, and I’m not sure exactly what to rate it. It’s a book that left me sort of wondering… wondering why the characters acted as they did, why the author wrote this particular story, and why I read it at all.
Menage focuses on a wealthy husband and wife; he’s often away on business and seems to have frequent affairs while she stays home with the children in their lavish home, feeling alone and away from the things that she thought she wanted—the life...more
Menage focuses on a wealthy husband and wife; he’s often away on business and seems to have frequent affairs while she stays home with the children in their lavish home, feeling alone and away from the things that she thought she wanted—the life...more
This book was definitely not what I expected. The reviews made it seemed like an account of an impassioned loved triangle when in reality the triangle never really exists between who you expect it to and often you question if it exists at all. It's definitely a page turner though! I had a hard time putting it down. Zoltan Barbu is intended to be the main character who wreaks havoc on everyone else's lives especially Heather McKay who is another important character. To me however the real star of...more
Well, if you're looking for a sexy book, this surely isn't it, despite the title. However, it is a very finely crafted triple character study. Shulman is a superb writer, she inhabits her characters without being overly judgemental. She lets their words and actions lie on the page and you absorb their personalities. Quite a magnificent achievement when you consider that all three major characters are rather reprehensible (but strangely understandable due to the author's skill).
I would recommend...more
I would recommend...more
Interesting quick read about a progressive? marriage or something like it, in which a wealthy husband and wife take in a celebrated Eastern European expat writer in the hopes that they will "learn how to live". The relationships in the book are so off the wall, but I found it pretty fascinating that they could be so blase about their infidelities (or lack thereof). Complex, really rich writing, and crazy bored over-educated rich people...what's not to like?
I am really unsure who the protagonist was in this novel. The three main characters engage in dialogue and behavior that is frankly, unbelievable, but perhaps the worst is Heather McKay. I don't remember saying aloud, "You're kidding me," as many times as I did in this book. Obviously Shulman has a good agent and track record, but on this one, don't bother.
Must be freaky book week for me. I could not understand not one of these characters, even though Shulman explained them completely to me. I think she created three interesting characters, I just couldn't understand what each got out of the other. Bored rich people playing mind games with a delusional semi-sociopath. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Wealthy East Coast building developer invites down-on-his-luck aging author to live in the palatial home that belongs to the wealthy man and his struggling author wife. All 3 people have expectations about how the living arrangement will work out. Results are VERY different from the expectations. Lesson for me - careful what you wish for.
I give this a 3.5. A page-turner filled with quirky characters. I would have liked more depth. The writing is good, a little better than passable. I would put this book in the category of easy read, good for a plane, a light book that keeps moving.
I read it all because I kept thinking something was going to happen. After I finished I'm still not sure what the motivation of the husband was, and certainly I am not sure that he met his objectives...though he says he did. Still, it was an interesting read, and it kept my attention. I just didn't get it.
Not an earth shattering read but definitely entertaining. It is a tense look at an unhappy marriage and how a couple brings in another person to liven up what has become dull for them both. Shulman is a talented writer and tells the inner-frustrations of marriage, stay-at-home moms, lauded absent husband/fathers, and writers who are displaced.
She is obviously a good writer and the story moves along well and is funny and sad at the same time. I'm sure it was written with her tongue in her cheek, the problem is that you just don't care about these narcissistic shallow characters.
I didn't find I really cared for any of the characters. The story idea was interesting, but I kind of left scratching my head, thinking, "Huh, what was the point of all that?"
Disappointing,pointless novel about a rich couple who take in an exiled author in hopes that life will be more exciting. I expected more from Shulman.
Thought the book was not what it seemed. I thought the characters would have a more interesting complex story but the whole book just fell flat
I was expecting a little more passion/infidelity in this book (given its title). Good read, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It was a little bit boring and drawn out. There was a good story there, but you had to search for it.
Mildly amusing, not truly original. Vague reminiscences of "Down and Out in Beverly Hills", only with a lot less bite. Yet another smug very mild satire of the affluent classes. The center character might be a modern-day take on Rasputin, but not as dangerous. Svengali with less hypnotic power. Cute but no more.
It's a long time since Memoirs of an Ex Prom Queen. I liked that one a lot better than this one.
Um... what was the point of this book? Painful writing, bad dialogue, and no plot.
I wanted to dislike the characters, but they were so complex and all had my sympathy.
Woody Allen type. I'll leave it at that.
Just OK. It could have done a better of job of building suspension.
Boring, boring, boring
disturbing emotional triangle
good but not great
This was a quick read, made me think of the great gatsby...
Apr 01, 2013
Deborah Camp
marked it as to-read
At hoover library
More like 3 1/2 stars. Liked the charachters but wanted a little more at the end
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Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Alix attended public schools and planned to be a lawyer like her dad. But in college at Case Western Reserve University she was smitten by philosophy and upon graduation moved to New York City to study philosophy at Columbia grad school. After some years as an encyclopedia editor, she enrolled at New York University, where she took a degree in mathematics, and later, whi...more
More about Alix Kates Shulman...
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