Tuesday, January 5, 2010

A Gate at the Stairs

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Pub date: 2009.

Pages: 321 p.

ISBN: 9780375409288

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If you are a fan of Lorrie Moore, you are in for a treat with her new novel. A Gate at the Stairs is a bildungsroman with an engaging protagonist, a plot with strange twists, and, as always, writing that is spectacular.

The setting is post-9/11. This creates a backdrop for a landscape that is forever changed. The novel depicts a world in which people, though well-intentioned, can disappoint and even damage, where wedded harmony has cracks, where love comes at the price of loss or betrayal. A Gate at the Stairs explores the concepts of family, as well as forgiveness.

As in all of her works, Moore's language sparkles. Most important, we come to feel full empathy for the young narrator, Tassie Keltjin, and are reminded of what it is like to be young, trusting, and innocent once again.

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