A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee

by:  Jonathan Dee
published by:  Random House
publish date:  March 12, 2013

Once a privileged and loving couple, the Armsteads have now reached a breaking point. Ben, a partner in a prestigious law firm, has become unpredictable at work and withdrawn at home—a change that weighs heavily on his wife, Helen, and their preteen daughter, Sara. Then, in one afternoon, Ben’s recklessness takes an alarming turn, and everything the Armsteads have built together unravels, swiftly and spectacularly.

There seems to be a rash of books about seemingly normal middle class families doing something crazy.  My favorite was Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman.  This book is another in that category.

 

Ben has a sexual encounter with an intern and loses his job and his wife.  Helen, in order to raise her daughter, gets a job in the city and moves them there, while Ben is serving time in a minimum security prison.  Sara doesn't adjust well to life in the city and gets a boyfriend that isn't the best for her.  While Helen is flourishing in her new career, Sara and Ben are faltering and just want their old lives back.

 

This book was ok.  Not fantastic.  I'm not a big fan of these type books, because they're kind of depressing.  I guess they're popular because middle age people like to read about other middle age people dealing with the same kinds of problems they are: divorce, single parenthood, finding a job in a tough economy, etc.  I can't say it was badly written or anything like that, from that standpoint it was fine.  The subject matter wasn't really my cup of tea.