Every summer when Griffin and his parents fantasized about buying a house on Cape Cod, where they vacationed, the houses fell into two categories–”Can’t Afford It” and “Wouldn’t have it as a gift.” His parents, self-absorbed snobs, were as hard to please in just about every other regard. Now grown, Griffin finds himself nearly as negative, which his wife Joy finds hard to live with.

The book’s first half is set around a wedding which Griffin and Joy attended, their relationship solid, their bond strong. The second half is also a wedding, their daughter’s, nine months later. By then they are separated, both awkward about bringing a new lover to the celebration

Richard Russo’s books are often about dysfunctional families. His first three novels are basically the same story–aging, absent father comes back into a son’s life and tries to make up for a lifetime of selfishness and neglect, but mostly making the son wonder if he was doomed to the same behavior. This is a nice variation of that, maybe less ambitious that Russo’s more recent titles, but done with his usual light touch. --John

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