The family's name may be a pun - they're middle class, middle aged, and from the midwest, get it? - but nothing else about this novel is formulaic. This is the story of Edie and Richard, whose marriage has fallen apart a few months before the novel's beginning. Their children Robin, Benny, and Benny's wife Rachelle struggle to save Edie, from her overeating, her loneliness, and her general lack of will to help herself. (Yes, anyone who has ever lived in a family knows their quest is futile, but that doesn't take away from the pleasure of reading about it.)
While Edie is dying one bag of chips at a time, Richard is grabbing life by the you-know-whats and meeting a second-chance woman. His family is angry with him, of course, but it's interesting to see how angry they are with Edie as well. Written in a light, comedic style that doesn't blunt the emotional resonance at all, this is a worthwhile read. I found parallels to the Alice McDermott novels I blogged about awhile back. The Middlesteins are observant but not zealous Jews, much like the Catholic families in McDermott's novels. In each case, a moderate piety suffuses the daily lives of the characters and provides an intriguing backdrop to their stories.
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