Dream Girl by Laura LippmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A clever tale about a writer, Gerry Andersen, in his waning years but not into retirement just yet. Recently sold his place in New York City and bought a luxury apartment in Baltimore, to be closer to his mother in her final days of dementia. Unfortunately for Gerry, the floating staircase and concrete flooring, while modern and sleek, was fairly dangerous. A minor slip and fall, the accident leaves him bedridden for months to heal his broken legs. Now ensconced in a rented hospital bed in his apartment, his assistant helps even more during the day and brings in a nurse for the nights.
Bedridden and taking pain pills, sleeping pills and calcium Gerry becomes the ultimate unreliable narrator and unsure when things are odd if he is dreaming, hallucinating, or what exactly is going on. Gerry weaves between his past and present, while trying to deal with an ex-girlfriend who won’t leave him alone and a mysterious woman who claims to be a fictional character from him most successful novel, Dream Girl.
The text is generously peppered with literary references. This book is highly readable, and enjoyable with a mystery and current social references. Despite the cringeworthy main character you just want to slap, there is something about Lippman’s novels that are just a joy to read.
Thanks to William Morrow for an advance review copy of this book.
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