Author: Eric Puchner
Publisher/Year: Scribner, 2010
Synopsis: Warren Ziller moved his family to California in search of a charmed life and to all appearances, he found it: a gated community not far from the beach, amid the affluent splendor of Southern California in the 80s.But his American dream has been rudely interrupted. Despite their affection for each other—the “slow, jokey, unrehearsed vaudeville” they share at home—Warren, his wife Camille, and their three children have veered into separate lives, as distant as satellites. Worst of all, Warren has squandered the family’s money on a failing real estate venture.
When tragedy strikes, the Zillers are forced to move to one of the houses in Warren’s abandoned development in the middle of the desert. Marooned in a less-than-model home, each must reckon with what’s led them there and who’s to blame—and whether they can summon the forgiveness needed to hold them together.
What Others Have To Say
The New York Times
"Puchner is a tender, humane observer of family life, and his lithe prose deepens our understanding of his characters."
The Washington Post
"There's a terrible shame involved if you fail in America. But that shame is universal. It clings to us like an invisible, sticky veil. That's what this estimable book is about."
San Francisco Chronicle
"As a novelist, Puchner is not yet fully at ease with this challenge, choosing at times to narrate emotion instead of trusting his skill at dramatizing the complicated relationships he has created."
Chicago Tribune
"... as devastating as the portraits of the parents are, the depiction of the kids is close to heart-breaking..."
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