Among Birches

Rebecca Hill writes a smart novel of flawed but compassionate people in mid-life. This book reminded me of Iris Murdoch -- intelligent philosophical understanding -- humor -- and soap opera situations when people get into messes even though they should know better. A bit of juvenile behavior from middle aged people who don't want to die without experiencing their follies. It seems no one is able to move on until they do. Central character Aspera grew up with a fortune-telling mama and an absent father she adored. She married high school sweetheart Will, a man who needs her more than she needs him. Their relationship was more balanced when they were in high school. Now Will is needy and Aspera wants freedom. Enter their friends and Aspera's 40th birthday party. Cross-currents of attraction, double-meanings, and secrets between people they've known all their adult lives. Aspera can tell one friend about another, share frustrations about her husband with someone else, and make certain jokes with certain chums. It's a balancing act. Or as it is described in the book -- you have to keep all your plates up in the air and spinning. This becomes even more true when Aspera follows her frustrations into an affair. There are questions posed about love: relationships with parents, with friends, with husbands and wives...and the varieties of ways people understand these relationships. None of us are ever over our lessons. This is an illuminating book -- I marked many pages along the way. Aspera and Will are likeable and intelligent and flawed -- they are witty and have good hearts -- but they easily misunderstand each other. A fun, intelligent book. Would make a great movie.