A review by twink7
The Smash-Up by Ali Benjamin

3.0

I love Edith Wharton, so thought this would be an interesting read, perhaps a modern-day retelling of Ethan Frome. But it is not. Only the names are the same, but the relationships are completely different. I think I would have liked this book more if she had simply used those characters as a starting point but not included the original names. But then, would I have picked it up otherwise? There are a lot of very big ideas in the book that never quite came together. Some reviews say it is hopeful, but a few hopeful words are swallowed up by the tidal wave of nihilism.