A review by trin
The Family Man by Elinor Lipman

1.0

Really disappointing. Lipman’s [b:The Inn at Lake Devine|109999|The Inn at Lake Devine|Elinor Lipman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171630031s/109999.jpg|2719843] is possibly my favorite “chick lit” novel ever—it’s witty and charming and romantic and actually about something. The Family Man, in contrast, is a big messy nothing. When it first came out I heard people praise Lipman for—gasp!—writing from the perspective of a gay man, which, um. Whoopdedo? The plot she sticks him with, however, is ludicrous, and the whole book is all tell and no show. I didn’t like anybody, I wasn’t amused, and the supposedly romantic ending (which does not involve the romantic prospects of the gay protagonist, FYI, but rather of his straight daughter) struck me as appallingly unpleasant. What the hell happened?