The Slippage

Why am I still on this dysfunctional family and/or marriage kick?  I can't seem to stop.  I may have developed a serious problem.  Anyway, I just finished an advance copy of The Slippage by Ben Greenman, due for a late-April release.  You can tell what you're getting into by the first line of this review.

The story centers on William Day, who seems like your typical suburban professional.  He lives with his wife, Louisa, and pretty much makes it through life one day at a time.  But he must deal with a loss of control in his life once his wife shows him the plot of land where she wants to build a home.  To summarize, here are some of the things William must now deal with:

A previous affair that is now entirely too close to home.

He's spending time with the son of another former affair (not his).

An incident at work may threaten his job.

An arsonist is loose in his city.

Got your interest?  Good.  This is really a fun, and disturbing, story.  Greenman has created a character who the reader sometimes feels sorry for and at other times hates.  There are plenty of clever turns of phrase and hilarious moments.  But the overall theme is that the ordinary life is sometimes anything but.