The Bucolic Plague, by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

This frothy account of attempting to leave behind the hectic lives the couple, Josh and Brent, have in New York for bucolic environs four hours out of the city is delightful, and often thoughtful as well. Can Brent, on-screen TV doctor on the Martha Stewart show, overcome his need for Marthaesque perfection in the light of living in a restored 200 year old mansion cursed with “zombie flies” that is also a working farm with 80 goats? Can Josh, a former drag queen, juggle his high-powered ad agency job with being the stay-at-home partner? Will Martha wow the locals by attending a party at the Beekman Mansion? Just what is the mystery of the flies that appear and die all over the house? Will the couple’s long-term relationship survive? And what of their new brand, Beekman 1802? Can it flourish during the economic meltdown? A light diversion for a summer evening’s read. 305 pp.