What I'm Reading This Minute

 One of the most compelling characters in Grant Ginder's new novel is Nina, who doesn't like herself. She enrolls at Northwestern for business school and talks and talks about the program. ("My cohort was asked to pack a bag--and just show up at the airport for a mystery trip!" "When two people within my cohort get married, the rest of us say it's a joint venture....")

Nina briefly works on improving school lunch health in the Bronx, mainly so she can talk about her virtuous efforts (efforts that become a source of tedious monologues at parties). When Nina realizes that her Bronx project is never going to secure her a house in Sag Harbor, she just switches to an easier job at Google.

One evening, alone, Nina discovers that an old frenemy is living nearby. She invites herself for dinner--and for a game of Celebrity. ("I'm really great at Celebrity," says Nina, to no one who cares.) Later, having intruded on a private conversation, Nina is confronted with evidence of her own obvious unpopularity. And she suffers a nervous breakdown--in private. It's the Celebrity game that becomes a turning point in Nina's life--a life that is utterly engrossing. (I read this book while I'm walking my dog--I don't look up when neighbors are nearby.)

Running parallel to Nina's story is an interesting discussion about Montclair. Mia, an ambitious journalist, is disgusted that her friend, Sasha, has chosen to become a mom in the burbs. At a Halloween party, Mia broadcasts her disdain: "I won't be checking out that hot new restaurant on Bloomfield. I'm from New York, where we have real restaurants, like Yoshino." The Montclair mom next to Sasha then reveals that she is a full-time press agent for Yoshino--and that she has very little hope for the ill-conceived cafe. "Anyway, you're working on a book with Knopf? Have you met Susie Chen? You *need* her on your publicity team, if anyone is going to notice you. You can tell her you've met me...."

If I wrote a novel about New York and Montclair, it would look very much like this novel. Occasionally, you pick up a book that seems to be written in your own voice--it's a weird sensation. For me, the book that makes that particular impact is "So Old, So Young."