The Land of Steady Habits

January 6, 2014
Late-life divorce is the subject of Thompson’s acutely written first novel. Approaching retirement age, Anders Hill is recently divorced from his wife, Helene. They have two adult children, who don’t seem especially fond of their father, especially the troubled younger one, Preston, who has yet to find himself. But as lost as Preston is, he is still in much better condition than Charlie, the substance-abusing, preppy son of Helene’s best friends who inexplicably turns to Anders for support, this at a time when Anders is having difficulty supporting himself, both financially and spiritually. Things become even more complicated when Anders finds out that Helene is living in his old house with a new lover, Donny, a mutual friend from their college days. As a wickedly sharp framing device, Anders’s travails come to a head during the Christmas season. This novel is basically a series of confrontations, but Thompson is a master at dramatically pitting one character against another. The story takes place in Connecticut, and the author proves to be as keen an observer of this social scene as his literary forebears, Cheever and Updike. Anders, Helene, their children, lovers and friends, might not be the most likable group of characters you’ll come across, but the author humanizes them in a way that makes their problems relatable.

Joe Barrett's delivery is perfect for this sad story of a man who discovers too late that there's more to life than making a living. He nails the tone of boredom that characterizes Anders. Tired of his financial career and upper-middle-class life, Anders has ditched his wife and grown children. There's little to like in Anders as he wallows in dissatisfaction with his life while lacking any energy to find purpose and meaning in it. As Barrett methodically recounts the depressing surface details of Anders's story, we never get to go deeper into his motivations to understand, or even care about, him and the people who surround him. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine