2005 book 72

kate walbert's our kind
i read this series of interconnected short stories, which discusses the lives of several rich, aging women, all married in the 50s and divorced in the 70s, while pat de-virused my computer all the way from washington state. it was narrated in first person plural which i thought worked really well to show their unity and similarity--besides lending it a slightly sad, slightly sinister tone. they reminisce about their weddings, their children's early days and sullen teen years, and the "beginning of the end" of their various marriages, all while engaging in book clubs and suicides. it was a fast read, but i think i liked walbert's gardens of kyoto better (i only have the vaguest memory of that book, which is telling, i suppose). it was a national book award finalist, for the record.