Wednesday, May 19, 2010

quirky.

Anyone who has ready anything by Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) knows that he does not write about ordinary people. They appear ordinary to everyone else, but as the reader, you get the inside scoop on how they really think and feel. The inside scoop on their personal relationships. His characters have these quirks that people do have in real life, but no one really talks about. He writes about awkward situations that are in a lot of ways relate-able but we would never admit it.


Peter Hedges newest book The Heights, is rather strange, but addicting. He calls it a human comedy. I was so curious about how Hedges would end things, that I read it every second I got. Each character, (mostly married couple, Tim and Kate) told a portion of the story. I like it when characters have their own personal voice. Tim and Kate do not live extraordinary lives. Kate is a stay at home mom, raising their two boys. Tim is a teacher. Eventually Kate gets a great job offer and takes it so Tim takes the role as stay at home dad, while finishing his dissertation. Through the story our main characters are forced to prove their character and their love for each other. Just because you may not be rich, travel the world and live an extraordinary life, does not mean your life is not interesting. Tom and Kate are a great example of this.

The ending will definitely make you wonder.

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