by A. M. Homes
First published 2007
Richard Novak has built a fortress around his emotions. The wealthy stock trader lives alone in his Los Angeles hills home, speaking only to his housekeeper and nutritionist. He has feelings, he says, just no time for them. Then chest pains land him in the emergency room and his house begins sliding into a sinkhole. Richard faces a choice between his controlled existence and something messier but more human. He starts small, helping a crying woman choose lettuce in a supermarket and befriending Anhil, an immigrant who runs a donut shop. Richard's amateur attempts at connection often misfire, but he keeps trying. His new openness draws him back toward his ex-wife and seventeen-year-old son Ben. This black comedy follows a man learning to care about others after years of emotional isolation.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: character-driven, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, redemption-arc
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 21st-century
446 pages · Paperback · Kiepenheuer und Witsch