A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I hesitate posting this review in a library blog. I like to recommend books, not caution the reader about them; but this has been said to be one of the five best books of 2009 and I have my doubts.

The initial story was interesting. Tassie, a college student becomes a nanny for a busy, mysterious couple. She accompanies the couple on their baby "shopping" journeys and then is totally commited to the biracial child experience. There are twists and surprises and the story has promise.

But I put the book down and when I picked it up again, it was a different story. And then another. What happened? The baby was gone. The "Brazilian" Muslim boyfriend came and went, and suddenly it was a story about Tassie's brother.

When the book ended, I still had questions. What happened to.....? and who was that? Maybe someone out there had a different experience; let me know. I might have missed something.


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