Synopsis
The author of Downtown Women takes the Simons from Greenwich Village to California for what they had hoped would be a less stressful, more fulfilling experience, but instead the result is a complete reevaluation of their lives.
Reviews
Although jauntily written, this tale of a Mahattan family that moves to California exaggerates the beat of its culture shock motif. Cameraman Michael Simon hates New York, not least because he can't find work. One day at breakfast, he announces to his book editor wife, Laurie, and their kids, aged 10 and 15, their forthcoming move to Los Angeles. Though Laurie is loath to leave their snug (read: minuscule) Greenwich Village apartment, she acquiesces and the Simons cross the continent to enter a world of jacuzzis, biofeedback, entertainment-biz backstabbing, and driving, lots of driving. Scenes of New York emphasize its best and worst characteristics while Santa Monica's suburban sprawl seems like paradise--that is, until the Simons have been there awhile. At times the family is far too naive, as when they take an untrustworthy woman who advertises she "Will Work for Food' into their home to iron shirts. Several awkward sex scenes warrant only a cursory, embarrassed glance and hints that the Simon's fifth grade daughter is a lesbian are overdone, though thought-provoking. If Hiller ( Downtown Women ) tries too hard with such details, her energetic touch and lively dialogue has something for people on both coasts.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inconsequential--and disappointing--second urban tale by Hiller (Morton Street, 1990), this revolving solely around the issue of whether it's better to love Manhattan or leave it. Laurie Simon is a native New Yorker, and as a book editor with a Greenwich Village apartment, two kids attending her own childhood public schools, and a cameraman/director husband, Michael, who adores her, Laurie feels she's living the good life in her hometown. The rub lies with Michael, who longs to try his luck in California by opening a production company there. His resentment at instead having to pass his years in hateful Manhattan has resulted in a constant, low-grade fury--and that anger has in turn translated into a chronic physical pain for Laurie that the couple refer to familiarly as her ``thing.'' When the pressure from Michael finally proves too much, Laurie gives up her job, sublets the apartment, and transports the family to Santa Monica. Laurie is not surprised at the homogenized strangeness of the West Coast, but she is taken aback as her chronic pain begins to fade with California-style therapy, and as a house with a pool turns out to be a pleasure to have around. The Simons begin to believe they might actually be happy--until teenaged son Andy flees back to his girlfriend in New York and an earthquake knocks a tree into the Simons' rented living room. Chastened, they follow Andy back east, where they find, to Laurie's relief, that the suburbs of Westchester offer the best of both worlds. Creating a procession of mundane problems for her characters, only to solve them before each chapter's end (Laurie's afraid to drive, but then she adapts; subletting the New York apartment might prove difficult, but instead proceeds without a hitch, etc.), Hiller fails to engage the reader emotionally or provide any kind of dramatic or comedic climax. A particularly cruel letdown, then, after such an entertaining debut. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Hoping to find a less stressful lifestyle and a better job, cameraman Michael Simon moves his wife and two children from Greenwich Village to Santa Monica, California, complete with pool, spa, skateboards, and freeways. Michael quickly adapts to jogging on the beach, lunching in Beverly Hills, and working for his friend's business, but the change is not as easy for his family. The weather is seductive, but the kids miss their friends, and his wife hates the driving and misses her job in publishing. Tensions develop and communication dwindles until teenaged Andy runs away. Michael soon begins to realize that the grass isn't greener and that New York is really home. This is not a new story, but Hiller ( Seventeen Morton Street , St. Martin's, 1990) tells it in a swift, breezy style with gentle humor. Just right for a day at the beach on either coast.
- Susan Clifford, Hughes Aircraft Co., Los Angeles
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Frustrated TV cameraman Michael Simon uproots his wife, Laurie, and their two children, Andy and Kira, from their New York City lifestyle to move to Santa Monica. Michael works for a friend in the TV industry, and Laurie freelances unsuccessfully as an editor and attends biofeedback sessions. Kira begins to explore her sexuality with her girlfriend Baka, and the rest of the family grow closer to the realization that Kira is different. As monetary problems mount, the Simons reassess their lives. When Andy runs away from home to return to New York and an earthquake devastates the Santa Monica region, they realize California is no better for them than New York. A job offer for Michael requires relocating back to New York, where the family moves to the suburbs. Hiller tells the story from each character's viewpoint, revealing the excitement, fear, and uncertainty of each family member about the move to California and the subsequent return to New York. The strength of this novel comes from its universal appeal: Everyone can identify with this family to some degree. Melanie Duncan
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