"After This"

I just finished listening to the audio version of "After This," (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2006; Audiobooks America, 2006), by Alice McDermott. This lovely novel tells the story of an Irish American Catholic family in Long Island. Early in the novel, Mary meets John; they then marry and have a family, and their kids grow up and begin their own lives and families. That is pretty much it. There are no pyrotechnics, just good writing. Although nothing amazing or strange happens, the usual family events -- romances, marriages, births, schooling, jobs, deaths -- are told with dignity and with a quiet lyricism. The novel is in effect a series of set pieces; the author gives great, detailed, loving attention to some scenes, and then skips over years to other scenes. The scenes described at length are almost tableaux; the reader keeps thinking they are leading up to dramatic events, yet in most of the scenes they do not. One scene in which John and a pregnant Mary take their three young children to the beach reminded me of a painting, or of one of those leisurely European films which dwells lovingly on the simple details of everyday life. In contrast, the dramatic events in "After This" are often sprung upon us suddenly. There are even a few disconcerting fast forwards, almost asides, to tell us the eventual fate of some of the characters. Another lovely aspect of this novel is the quiet, modest goodness of the main characters. I recommend this novel to your attention.