Summary

There was no way for anyone to know – least of all me – that it would all end the way it did.

Thomas Martin was a devoted family man who had all the trappings of an enviable life: a beautiful wife and daughter, a well-appointed home on Long Island’s North Shore, a job at a prestigious Manhattan advertising firm. He was also a devoted son and brother, shielding the women in his orbit from the everyday brutalities of the world.

But what happens when Thomas’s fragile ego is rocked? After committing a horrific deed – that he can never undo – Thomas grapples with the sense of self. Sometimes he casts himself as a victim and, at other times, a monster. All he ever did was try to be a good man, but maybe if he tells his version of the story, he might uncover how and why things unraveled horribly.

Why I chose to read this book
The cover art is enticing; the juxtaposition of green grass and a twisted garden hose – insinuates someone cracking under domestic life pressures. We want it all, but at what cost?

Thoughts & Opinions

This deeply unsettling novel is narrated by Thomas, a husband and father trying to keep his family and work life together. As he explains how he met his wife, Miriam, you get the sense that his recollection of the whirlwind romance seems a little too perfect. According to him, it all comes crashing down when he introduces Miriam to his dysfunctional family. They are less than ideal, embarrassing, often inappropriate, and downright negligent. 

As the story moves forward, slow-paced, you get the sense that Thomas wants everything to be perfect, he wants to be in control because nothing was in control or perfect in the household he grew up in – it was chaotic. Additionally, although he has a wife and daughter, Thomas clearly has something against women albeit wanting to be their savior.