A Friend of the Family

Father-and-son tension escalates into a crisis in Grodstein's latest potboiler, which is given added emotional depth in a rigorous interpretation by narrator Rick Adamson. The story revolves around a doctor whose distrust of his best friend's daughter reaches a crescendo when the girl shows up in her 30s to make a play for his son, a young struggling artist. While the story itself may sound like an extended family argument to some, Adamson is superb in drawing out all the characters' inner torments. His risk-taking performance is so good it will leave listeners wondering if this is just fine acting or if Adamson is personally familiar with this emotional landscape. J.L. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 6, 2009
In her wonderful second novel, Grodstein (Reproduction Is the Flaw of Love
) traces a suburban crisis and gives especially perceptive attention to the father-son bond. Pete Dizinoff has it pretty good—an internist with a successful practice, loving wife, nice house in a safe New Jersey suburb and his best friend living close by—but there’s some nasty muck beneath the surface. Some years back, Laura, the daughter of Pete’s best friend, Joe, was suspected of murdering her baby upon birth. Now in her early 30s, Laura’s returned to town after several years of leisurely work and travel and is seducing Pete’s college dropout son, Alec, who is also back in town, pursuing the life of a painter in his parents’ garage. Laura does not fit into Pete’s idea of what’s best for his son, but when Pete intervenes, things spin wildly out of control. Add to this a malpractice case, and Pete senses his life is falling apart. An astute dissector of male aspiration, Grodstein brings great insight into a father’s protective urge for his son in this gripping portrait of an American family in crisis.

Starred review from December 21, 2009
There are grave consequences when Pete Dizinoff, a successful doctor, tries to keep his son from being seduced by Laura, a possible murderess and the daughter of Pete's best friend. Grodstein's superb second novel is a deft portrayal of suburban life, and Adamson more than does justice to the fine material in his tour-de-force performance. With his ability to shift from pathos to restraint, he creates realistically layered characters that grip readers from the start and linger long after the finish. An Algonquin hardcover (Reviews, Jul. 6).