This book was "ok"... nothing amazing but a decent and easy read. The combining of characters from totally different backgrounds is always a good combo for an interesting story and this certainly was but what they all do once they are together was rather lame. A married man having a midlife crisis of sorts (weird feelings for a teenage girl, crazy love for his wife with a wild past, affair with coworker), a wife with an interesting past (she grew up in the circus) who now has the life she dreamed of and realizes it's extremely boring and a private high school student that moves in with them for a summer and turns their married life upside down, or as some would say "pushes them to realize exactly what is going on in their lives".I didn't care for the 1920's style detective pieces and I don't really know if it adds anything to the story but it's there and is okay. Again, it's an okay read. Easy and quick. Feeling cynical about this book. It like it was really about how we never know what goes on in the mind of another person, how mostly we use others to shore up the image we have (or want ) of ourselves. Evelyn generated no sympathy from me her insecurity was just too much to take, Ray felt promising until he decided to substitute Ingrid for Evelyn, and they both lost me when they sucked a 16 year old girl into their vortex of self-doubt. Ingrid's was the only true voice in the novel. At 16 you should be questioning, you will be a little insecure, you do use others to figure out who you are, but as adults Evelyn and Ray should know better, be stronger than to use a young girl as a conduit for their emotions. An argument can be made that Evelyn never had a chance to mature, I suppose, although I don't buy it. As for Ray--puh-lease. I did enjoy the story, the plotting was tight, the detective story sideline was not distracting and added much to Ingrid's characterization.Other "circus" selections: The Night Circus, Water for Elephants, Geek Love
What do You think about The Fainting Room (2013)?
I read the first 100 pages, just didn't do it for me.
—Argon99
