ALTERNATE SIDE
by Anna Quindlen
After recently reading the wonderful Jane Austen Book Club, I decided to re-read (or read for the first time) all of Jane Austen’s books. Critics agree that one of the reasons for Austen’s continued popularity is her stunning ability to accurately portray the manners of her time. I think that Anna Quindlen has a similar ability. She is an astute observer of human behavior and an accomplished novelist. In Alternate Side, Quindlen has once again written a novel that will draw you in from page one and keep you enthralled until the end.
In Alternate Side, Quindlen beautifully describes a New York City, Upper West Side neighborhood, located on a rare and desirable cul-de-sac. The neighbors are friends; parents and children are accomplished and successful; and life is pretty wonderful. Until it isn’t. Parking, always a headache in New York City, is tricky in the neighborhood, until your name comes up for a spot in the one little local lot. Which is what happens early on to our main characters, Charlie and Nora Nolan. From the day they are able to park their car in the much sought after lot, bad things begin to happen – from mysterious bags of dog poop appearing on the Nolans’ doorstep to an increase in the number of arguments with workers in the neighborhood. Things escalate to the point of violence and the once idyllic neighborhood begins to unravel at the seams.
Quindlen develops realistic and poignant characters. Her descriptions of the Nolans’ marital struggles and their ambivalence towards their jobs really resonate. And Charlie and Nora’s different feelings about loyalty and friendship are believable. Likewise, the Nolans’ feelings toward their adult children ring true. Alternate Side is an engaging novel from one of my favorite authors. (Liz)
