Taking Care of Mrs. Carroll

Tied together by various connections with Mrs Beth Carroll, an assorted group spend a summer together in a splendid mansion on an Atlantic coast estate. Veteran Beth Carroll, the owner; her never fully dressed gay houseboy, young handsome and lithe David; Phidias her elderly Greek estate manager, are joined by Rick, David's one time lover; and Rick's glamorous and famous friend, the ageing Dietrich-esque Madeleine Cosquer. Forty-something LA queen and very wealthy Aldo, Madeline's agent; and Beth's closeted gay son Tony make later additions to the party. Beth, realising her death is imminent, wants to protect her estate from developers, but she dies before she can sign the will. Phidias, her life long secret lover, hatches a plan to outwit Beth's family and her lawyer, which is the reason behind the gathering. So proceeds the bizarre account of events, narrated by Rick, which as well as revealing the scam, takes us on a complex tour of the interconnections between the various characters, and a constant series of surprises. Then there is the question of David and Rick's relationship. David walked out on his older lover a few years ago, leaving Rick heartbroken; will this summer see them getting back together again? Monette tells his story in a languid, yet witty and entertaining fashion. A crazy plan combined with a moving love story involving some fascinating characters makes this a most pleasurable read.

This novel has comedy, mystery, suspense, and some good old fashioned romance. Paul Monette has woven all these elements into a delightful tale that takes place on picturesque Cape Cod. As David is 'Taking Care of Mrs. Carroll', Paul Monette is taking care of us. The characters entice us to enjoy the surroundings of the Carroll estate and we are treated to interesting plot developments. I have to admit that this is my favorite Paul Monette novel.