"Road" not taken

If you haven't read our runner-up, "Revolutionary Road," I encourage you to do so. Though the novel was completed about a half century ago, it reads as if it were written today. The language is crisp, spare, but poignant. Even the story itself about how a young couple's volatile ambitions and passions upset their lives could seems contemporary, especially in the aftermath of our consumption orgy. "Revolutionary Road" reminded me of Cheever's "The Swimmer": not so much a snapshot of suburban Americana in the '50, but more of a fable about human nature.

Of course, I didn't see the movie starring Kate and Leo, so my images of the characters weren't already formed. Cathy found it impossible to read the book without envisioning the "Titantic" stars. But as Dulcy wrote earlier: Forget the movie. And read the book.