So Much for That
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Author Description
From the acclaimed author of the "New York Times" bestseller "The Post-Birthday World" comes a searing, ruthlessly honest new novel about a marriage both stressed and strengthened by the demands of serious illness. Shep Knacker has long saved for "The Afterlife": an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with "talking, thinking, seeing, and being"--and enough sleep. When he sells his home repair business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet Glynis, his wife of twenty-six years, has concocted endless excuses why it's never the right time to go. Weary of working as a peon for the jerk who bought his company, Shep announces he's leaving for a Tanzanian island, with or without her. Just returned from a doctor's appointment, Glynis has some news of her own: Shep can't go anywhere because she desperately needs his health insurance. But their policy only partially covers the staggering bills for her treatments, and Shep's nest egg for The Afterlife soon cracks under the strain. Enriched with three medical subplots that also explore the human costs of American health care, "So Much for That" follows the profound transformation of a marriage, for which grave illness proves an unexpected opportunity for tenderness, renewed intimacy, and dry humor. In defiance of her dark subject matter, Shriver writes a page-turner that presses the question: How much is one life worth?
Menrva's Summary
THE PULSE
Shep Knacker’s long-awaited retirement to a tropical island is abruptly derailed when his wife, Glynis, receives a life-altering medical diagnosis. Shep, having sold his business to fund his escape from the grind of American life, finds his financial security and personal autonomy suddenly tethered to the crushing costs of his wife’s treatment. The narrative, delivered with a sharp, unsentimental perspective, tracks the erosion of his personal dreams against the backdrop of a failing healthcare system. As the couple navigates the bureaucratic and physical toll of illness, the story examines the friction between individual desire and the obligations of a long-term marriage.
INSIDE THE PAGES
- Examination of the American healthcare system through multiple, interconnected medical subplots.
- Exploration of the financial and emotional strain placed on a twenty-six-year marriage.
- Use of a cynical, dry, and observational tone to dissect middle-class anxieties.
- Focus on the tension between personal autonomy and familial duty.
- Integration of social commentary regarding the cost of living and the value of a human life.
- Pacing that balances domestic drama with the logistical nightmare of medical debt.
- Character-driven narrative that highlights the flaws and vulnerabilities of both protagonists.
- Realistic depiction of the mundane and often brutal realities of chronic illness.
THE COLLECTIVE ECHO
This novel is frequently noted for its unflinching and often provocative examination of the American healthcare system. Critics and readers alike have pointed to Shriver’s ability to blend biting social satire with the intimate, often painful realities of a marriage under extreme duress. The work is recognized for its refusal to offer easy sentimentality, instead opting for a rigorous look at how financial instability can reshape personal identity. The narrative’s focus on the intersection of private tragedy and public policy remains a central point of discussion for those engaging with the text.
Page Count:
464
Publication Date:
2010-01-01
Publisher:
Harper
ISBN-10:
0007288026
ISBN-13:
9780007288021
Contemporary
Satire
Social Issues
Literature & Fiction
Subjects
Marriage fiction
Domestic
Medical
Fiction
Community Tags
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