A review by spaceonthebookcase
Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman

2.0

I read this in one sitting and kept waiting for it to hook me.

Jane is suspended as a lawyer because a neighbor sees her in a compromising position and calls the police. The biggest missed opportunity came from not exploring the trial and instead we get an overview that makes Jane sound vapid and entitled.

The first half of the book is focused on Jane’s obsession with the older woman who called the police and finding ways to fill her time while she’s under house arrest. She starts a cooking TikTok after being pushed by her identical twin sister.

When the doorman mentions another tenant in a similar situation we meet Perry: a man with no personality. What could have become a romance just wasn’t and I couldn’t quite figure out why he and Jane got together.

The side bar Mandy and the Polish siblings was just so outlandish. I’ve heard this author described as quirky and there is quirky and then there is weird. It was just weird and made the entire book feel very disjointed. It was like the author had a handful of ideas and forced them together even though they didn’t belong.

Thank you Harper Perennial for sending me a copy to review.