A review by kdavisreich
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

3.0

Some books that explore capital-I Issues are really rooted in the story and characters, and with others it feels as though the author said "I want to write about Issue X and Issue Y" and then came up with characters who aren't characters so much as embodiments of the things the author wants to explore. This book seemed like the latter to me, and I didn't like it all that much until the very end -- the reference to Jane Eyre was an unexpected and strong finish, I thought. I'm not sure the whole novel is meant as a Jane Eyre update, really, but when I think of it as one I like it better.