A review by coffeenurse
The Land of Steady Habits by Ted Thompson

3.0

Beginning another novel dealing with issues surrounding commitment and marriage, The Land of Steady Habits was a light-hearted, unintentional follow-up to Jamie Quatro's Fire Sermon. Serious topics are examined in this text; unhappiness in marriage, infidelity (to some extent), guilt, suicide, teen drug-use, etc. Although humorous in its approach, I felt Thompson did them justice in his style, leaving enough space for the reader to gain their own understanding from characters' behaviour. I was both sympathetic towards Anders in his good intentions and appalling decisions, and his ex-wife Helene who is just trying to make the most of the rest of her life. The unironic satire in the characterisation of Helene's friends and boyfriend compared to Anders was interesting and fun. It was a very humble novel, with nuances of John Updike, and grounding in its story which is very well-rounded in the way it is told. Although relatively plain, it did give me a different perspective on life and those close to me.