 |
| Publishers Weekly
Amy Koppelman. MacAdam/Cage,
$23 (212p) ISBN 1-931561-30-3
Lean,
minutely detailed and frighteningly convincing, this polished debut
explores the mind of Julie Davis, a privileged 26-year-old New Yorker
suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth to her son,
Teddy. |
 |
The novel begins just after she tries to commit suicide, soon before
Teddy's first birthday. Back from the hospital and home with her
husband, Ethan, and Teddy's live-in nurse, Georgie, Julie struggles to
feign normality, continually reassuring herself that she can function
perfectly well: "She will empty the stroller and pay for what she has.
She will tell Ethan to bring home bottled water or just use water from
the tap."
The plot moves along the grooves of her depressed, circular thinking,
fed by small, ordinary developments: a Knicks game, a Tupperware party,
a trip to the grocery store with Teddy, a move to the suburbs. Tranquil
as her life is on the outside, her mind never rests, constantly
struggling with the voice in her head that she describes as a
"skeptical, mocking, bitter person furious she is alive." Memories of
childhood with her father, Ron, intrude often. He called her Flower, but
treated her and her mother roughly, leaving many scars. Another
frequently heard voice is that of her mother, Harriet, whose motto is
"If you look happy and pretty, then you are happy and pretty." Ethan is
patient and thoughtful, though he has odd lapses, calling his formerly
bulimic wife "Tiny."
Koppelman skillfully builds suspense as Julie battles with her demons,
conjuring up an airless, oppressively stifling world. Though all signs
point to the disturbing ending, it still comes as a surprise. (Apr.)
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