Because of the current obsession with ogling the life and times of self-proclaimed “guidos” and “guidettes” living out life on the Jersey Shore and our hopelessly morbid curiosity about the scandalous affairs of Tiger Woods and Jon Gosselin, it’s easy to forget how truly rewarding a good book can be. Not just a book that allows the reader an escape from the everyday or one that is merely entertaining, but rather a novel that causes its reader to take an introspective look at life itself. “A Gate at the Stairs,” by Lorrie Moore, not only accomplishes that, but does so with a witty and biting edge.
Set in post-9/11 America, “A Gate at the Stairs” is told from the perspective of 20-year-old Tassie Keltjin, a Midwestern farmer’s daughter. The tragedy of 9/11, however, serves not as the center upon which the story rotates but instead as a backdrop for Tassie’s own experiences.
Looking for a job, she somewhat stumbles into a position as a babysitter for a couple adopting a biracial child. While dealing with the repercussions that eventually rain down on her employers (who have been covering up a pretty dark secret for some time), Tassie is also forced to explore the feelings associated with having a younger brother contemplating military enrollment in a nation on the brink of serious warfare.
Moore’s writing is a breath of fresh air, especially when compared with some of her modern counterparts. The fluidity of her words and her descriptive language make it easy to imagine the scenery around Tassie. Tassie’s narrative, where everything she sees and lives reminds her of something she’s seen or done in the past, is reminiscent of the way we live our own lives. It is not difficult to understand how she relates to her surroundings, because Moore has the inherent ability to transform what could have been vague memories from the past into bright influences on the present.
In “A Gate at the Stairs,” Moore makes her main character palpable, real and familiar. Tassie is simultaneously endearing and genuine, like a friend from college whose memory has almost faded, but whose obsessive use of “quasi” in place of “kind of” still lingers behind in the subconscious.
The novel itself is a reminder of the little tragedies in life — they are everywhere if only one were to look for them. And while this is a tale of some sadness, it is told matter-of-factly, with Tassie’s young and naive view on the world serving as the lens through which the reader sees what she does. Her actions are those of someone with much to learn, and it seems most of her learning is done through her experiences, rather than through her college education.
The author has created an intricate world which engulfs the reader fully, because she has created characters with painfully authentic stories. Moore’s writing is so vivid, so gripping, that it is impossible not to become attached, and it is impossible not to care. But she also leaves many questions unanswered, and perhaps this is what makes her story so realistic.
While “A Gate at the Stairs” is Moore’s first novel in 15 years, one can only hope she will continue to produce such touching and ruminative narratives.
Rating: W W W W W
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