thebobsphere 's review for:

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

5.0

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When I read Heather O'Neil's The Girl who was Saturday Night earlier this year, I thought that I had read one of the best coming of age stories but Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs has pipped it by a bit.

Tassie, a first year college student, decides to take on a babysitting job in order to make some money. Little does she know that the family who hires her are not exactly as they seem (no they aren't murderers or anything like that - this book isn't like that)

The novel wins at every level. First of all it is funny. I enjoyed reading Tassie's wry observations of life and it's little ironies. I also enjoyed the philosophical interludes. This is something Moore does a lot of in her short fiction but in novel form it works better. Ever thought that the type of socks you wear are an extension of your existence? well Moore manages to do that.

The characters are fantastic - realisitic, with both their good and bad traits and weirdly as Tassie learns her life lessons, the book becomes warmer, I won't say feel good but it does come close.

Ultimately A Gate at the Stairs is - at least for me - how life can surprise a person. A lot of the plot does deal with appearance and reality, as Moore is a skilled writer, she manages to do this subtly without hammering any points in a blatant overly symbolic way. For a novel with a basic plot it's exploration of feelings is complex and makes this book a pleasure to read AND you get a couple of laughs in between.