A Perfect Arrangement

Having recently made a decision to cut down on the meaningless, middle-of-the-road stuff I'd been glutting on for too long, this was one that had been sitting in the queue for awhile and was ALMOST tossed into the donate pile because I thought it had far too much of a `throwaway' vibe about it. But I had two weeks off for the holidays and had time to clear the stack a bit before the new year, so I went ahead and dipped in. I'm VERY glad I did, because it was a complete and very pleasant surprise. The synopsis for this book is really a little misleading, in my opinion. Not that it's incorrect; it just doesn't give a well-rounded idea of the scope. On the face of it the story appears to be yet another cautionary tale about a young-ish, successful yuppie couple who hire an au pair who isn't the person she claims to be, in more ways than one. I know - yawn alert! It sounds like a typical setup for a "Hand that Rocks the Cradle" type horror novel, and I had no interest in that at all. However, I'm glad I gave it a chance because this novel is far more layered and complex than that. While it's true that Randi, the au pair Mirella and Howard hire to care for their two young children, is not being truthful about who she is and where she comes from and there is definitely a lurking sense of danger prevalent throughout the story, the genius of the storytelling here is in the examination of a marriage that itself is not what it appears. Few marriages are, and maybe that's the message we ultimately take from it. Everyone has secrets, big and small, and sacrifices are made whether we want to make them or not, or whether we even acknowledge them. Perhaps without fully realizing it, each person brings into the relationship their own deeply-seated ideas of what life should be, what a home should look like, what a house should contain, how children should be raised, how we judge ourselves and our spouses through our own lens and then through the lenses of others, and what we allow others to see. It takes a lot of energy to maintain every part of that machinery, be it calculated or genuine, and what happens when all of those feelings and ideas clash irrevocably? There is no neat wrap-up at the end, but rather, a sense that something has been both lost and gained, or at least possible to gain. Howard and Mirella are at times infuriatingly flawed and heartbreakingly real. I had not heard of Suzanne Berne before, but I am VERY impressed and will look for more from her. I know she has several novels in her backlist.

I buy too many books and lately have tried to borrow more from the library. The borrow can save me a good $20 or so. This time, I wish I'd bought instead of borrowed. There were pages and pages I wanted to highlight. Oh well. I'll just have to buy it and read it again. This book perfectly captures the mounting and messy pressures we voluntarily assume with marriage, work and family; how these pressures can overwhelm us and lead -- as Berne says -- to a life "guided by hurry, guided by hope, counting on other chances for every chance" we take. This book tells the story of a likable, flawed and very real couple, Mirella and Howard, a married lawyer and architect couple who, by outside appearance, seem to have it all. But "it all" comes with a big price tag -- two very imperfect, difficult children and a juggling act that threatens to fall apart at any moment. And fall apart it does, starting with the hiring of nanny Randy, who -- like Mirella and Howard -- ostensibly looks perfect. Randy has both a dark side and a dark past which Berne tantalizingly reveals bit by bit. And Randy isn't the only one with secrets to hide. But, don't worry, the news isn't all bad. Many have written about the constant duel of tension and satisfaction inherent in the "have it all" battle, but never so well as here. Berne is a wonderful writer. I was mesmerized for the entire book and went to sleep way too late, unwilling to put it down. Berne's writing is entirely fresh, un-cliche'd and breezy, suspenseful and profound, all at the same time. A rare find; well worth the read and the price.

As a reader of many books, both fiction and,non-fiction, I can say without hesitation that A Perfect Arrangement is the best book I have read in years.There is not a false note in the story that has elements of the banal mixed exquisitely in with a suggestion of catastrophe at every turn. Most every sentence contains either a surprising event, a fascinating observation or a hilarious character . Suzanne Berne has an amazing ability to capture the nuances which can turn our every day activities into harrowing and sometimes hysterical leaps of faith.

I couldn't put down Suzanne Berne's witty page-turner of a domestic novel. Reading this on the train, twice I actually laughed out loud. The writing is graceful and literary without ever showing off; the insights into family life are ruthlessly precise, dry, and yet somehow compassionate. This wry look at our daily self-deceptions, at the careful ongoing choreography of marital spats and accommodations, is wrapped around a plot that slowly reveals that what's scary is not, in fact, other people but ourselves--and everyday life.

Suzanne Berne's writing style is magnificently descriptive, which makes putting the book down difficult. "A Perfect Arrangment" will strike a cord with mothers who rely on hired help to care for their children and force them to not make such quick decisions about hiring a nanny. "A Perfect Arrangement" isn't as horrifying as "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle," but equally maintains the attention of the reader to find out what will happen next. I highly recommend this book as well as Suzanne's "A Crime in the Neighborhood." It is a pefect addition to any summer reading collection.