Subdivision

Amidon's collection of linked stories exposes the madness at the heart of American suburbia -- self-destructive teenagers, ambition run amock, the paralysis and quiet desperation that lie just under the smooth surfaces of life in a single subdivision. This is familiar territory in American literature, but Amidon handles it with grace and a strong sense of the compelling image. And, in the end, he gives us reason to hope for his characters in their stultifying world.