Seeking Success in Suburbia

Themes of parental expectations, elitism, and suburban insularity drive Lauren Grodstein’s second novel, A Friend of the Family (Algonquin, 2009).

Posted February 8, 2010 by Deborah P. Carter

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein.

Courtesy of publisher.

Set in a fictitious Bergen County town much like Haworth, where Grodstein, 34, grew up, the novel shines a light on upscale, modern life and the values and pressures that can come with privilege. “Kids in these towns are supposed to be destined for great things,” says Grodstein. “These are kids who aren’t supposed to get into trouble. Their parents and community may see it as a tragedy for them to not finish college or to get pregnant.”

The gap between expectation and reality widens for Grodstein’s narrator, Pete Dizinoff, when his only son falls in love with someone he deems unacceptable. The object of his son’s affection is older, unconventional, and possibly even a murderer. Dizinoff, a respected internist, proceeds to blur the line between his responsibility as a parent and his aspirations for his son as he plots to derail the romance.

“I loved where I grew up,” says Grodstein, who now lives in Moorestown and teaches creative writing at Rutgers-Camden. “I wasn’t trying to hold the culture [of the town] up for mockery or to be sneered at. The story is about people who love their children but sometimes get tripped up as ambition and common sense cross paths.”

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