lizokeefe 's review for:

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

2.0

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Ok, so you can describe things with creative language. Show some restraint! Half a dozen similes to describe one flower, snowstorm, or salad is excessive. Worst of all, almost nothing happens in this book. The main character is riddled with insecurities, and there is no warmth or empathy that the narrator shows when looking back at her 20-year-old self. As for "the insidiousness of racism" - the overheard Wednesday night conversations are extremely clever but suffer from the same lack of restraint. We do not need ten pages of overheard remarks, at four different places in the book.
What makes this novel so frustrating is that the author is talented, but her editor collected a paycheck for nothing.