A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach
By Helen Schulman (224 pages)
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Bookish rating: 4

This novel takes place on 9/11, following a NYC-based, trendy and artsy couple as the day turns to shit and the underlying strengths and weaknesses of their strange, flawed marriage bubble up. Gerhard is German-born and quite the arse, a well-known choreographer and artistic director. Suzannah, much younger, is his former muse--a great dancer-turned-mother. Which he sort of resents her for.

Their apartment is across the street from the World Trade Center, so you can imagine how the morning unfolds. They flee to the Hamptons (as you do), attempting to process and make sense of the attacks, what they've seen, what they fear, and their own reactions to it all.

Gerhard in particular is unlikable, sure, but he's interesting. Self-centered, craving art, bothered by mundane yet unpredictable nature of a difficult toddler. Suzannah tolerates too much of Gerhard's artsy diva-ness, but surely she saw it coming, right? And yet. Both are interesting to read.

Schulman explores many themes, intelligently: art, dance, marriage, love, parenthood, fear, good vs. evil, paradoxes (the German marries the Jew--did Gerhard do this to be purposefully paradoxical, he wonders?)---lots is jammed in here, and it makes for very good reading. On the whole, Schulman dodges 9/11 melodrama---she keeps the attacks raw and believable and (I hesitate to even type this) non-cheesy. But, now and then, she slips in a predictably 9/11-ish phrase or sentiment that reads a tad saccharine.

A very good post-9/11 literary read. Recommended.