Small Hours
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3.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Richard Russo meets Tom Perrotta in this gripping, suspenseful, and gorgeous debut novel about family secrets come to light; "a tinderbox waiting to explode" (Matthew Thomas, New York Times Bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves.
On a day of rising tension, Tom, a news editor, will confront the consequences of an indiscretion that he has tried desperately to hide and that now threatens to undo his family. Helen, a graphic designer who works from home, will be drawn into an escalating conflict with two street-smart teenage girls. Told hour-by-hour over the course of a single day, a husband and wife try to outrun long-buried secrets, sending their lives into chaos.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kitses's debut chronicles a critical day in the strained lives of Helen Nichols and Tom Foster, the parents of three-year-old twins in the New York suburb of Devon. While living in Queens with Helen and working at a science magazine, Tom began a brief affair with his colleague Donna. Though reluctant to be a parent, Tom had twin girls, Ilona and Sophie, with Helen, as well as another daughter, Elana, with Donna. Helen learns about his indiscretion, though he doesn't confess the identity of his affair partner or that he had a child with her. After a move to the isolating suburbs, Tom is commuting daily to a job that he dislikes while Helen does tedious design work from home. The stress of dealing with toddlers, coupled with her thankless work, leads her to unleash her frustration on a pair of rough teenagers. After her neighbor's kid Nick comes to the rescue, Helen spends the day wondering if someone might be gunning for them. Meanwhile, Tom learns from Donna that a job offer in London might take Elana away from him. Donna wants Tom to come clean with Helen about everything; he's still hesitant despite Donna's threat to bring lawyers into the matter. Finally, a series of events force him and Helen to deal with one another. All these conflicts are realistic and compelling: the loss of income coupled with a lifestyle Tom and Helen can't really afford puts a strain on their already tested marriage, with the couple's negative propensities exacerbating the problem. The book's ending hits a note that's a touch too optimistic, but is still in keeping with the theme that there's no easy way out for these characters.
