What We've Lost Is Nothing

October 21, 2013
Snyder’s debut concerns the fallout from a mass burglary in 2004 in comfortable Oak Park, Ill., famed for its Diversity Assurance program, an experiment in integration. Referring to the insignificant stolen goods, such as CDs and a lawn edger, and to the fact that nobody was harmed during the robberies, resident Michael McPherson is quoted in the local paper as saying, “What we’ve lost is nothing.” However, many community members wonder—some covertly, some overtly—whether the perpetrators are from an adjacent poor, black neighborhood in west Chicago. Later, Michael wonders if “they had lost something so enormous there existed no name for it.” Supplementing Snyder’s explorations of community and prejudice are the nuanced portraits of the neighbors/victims, including a nearly blind former professor, a Cambodian immigrant family, and Michael’s wife, Susan, a passionate believer in the Diversity Assurance program. Another narrative thread concerns the relationship of teenage Mary Elizabeth, Michael and Susan’s daughter, with a bad boy. The relationship, and the book, builds to an incident of shocking violence. Snyder’s debut is smooth and engaging, and reads like the work of a veteran novelist.

November 15, 2013
Snyder's debut novel takes place in the two dramatic days following a series of burglaries in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. Residents of Ilios Lane in Chicago's Oak Park neighborhood wanted to believe they were helping change attitudes toward diversity, but when someone breaks into the homes in this more affluent area bordered by mostly minority-occupied homes and apartments, subtle changes begin to take effect. The ones who see the most change are the members of the McPherson family: daughter Mary Elizabeth, who is skipping school when the break-in happens, tripping out on ecstasy with her Cambodian friend, Sofia; her mom, Susan, a true believer in diversity who has worked her entire adult life to integrate local neighborhoods; and her father, Michael, who sees a chance to step up to the plate and be the liaison between the violated families and the police. The others involved in the break-ins have various reactions to the crimes. Mary Elizabeth finds her proximity to the burglars has made her the target of Caz's attention. Caz, a boy at school who has ignored her in the past, seems smitten by her. Sofia finds herself in hot water with her parents. Susan is determined not to let the incident scare off prospective tenants. Alicia and Dan must return from a vacation in Florida to visit her indulgent parents. A semiblind neighbor finds himself beseeched to move in with his sister, and a French chef discovers his authenticity questioned. Snyder's book encompasses a time period beginning with the discovery of the crimes to a final, life-changing showdown that takes place at the end of the emotionally and physically exhausting experience. Snyder's writing is crisp and clean and the premise is unique, but readers may find the characters less than compelling.

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October 15, 2013
Home to Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway, the city of Oak Park, Illinois, is a historic enclave that prides itself on its dedication to diversity. Nestled in the shadow of the City of Big Shoulders to its east, the border between city and suburb often gets a little murky, so when an entire street of homes is robbed during a single afternoon, suppressed racial tensions bubble to the surface as the suspects remain at large. Every one of the eight families affected will have their beliefs, their commitment to their community, and even their most precious relationships challenged during the course of the initial 24 hours following the burglaries, but none more so than the McPhersons, whose 15-year-old daughter was home during the invasion. Veteran journalist Snyder crafts a muscular and fearless debut novel that boldly tackles the heady themes of prejudice, self-preservation, poverty, and privilege. Deftly underscored by a steady drumbeat of denial and discontent, Snyder's drama provocatively reveals the escalating tensions of a community about to implode.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)