WE, ADULTS

Stenson’s character-driven novel features a disastrous love triangle.

Elliot Svendson is 29 and works at a Talbots store in her hometown of Roseville, Minnesota. She lives with her parents and her 3-year-old son, Jacob. This is not where Elliot wants to be—it’s where she has ended up after catching her husband, college professor Devon Hester, cheating on her with one of his students. A skateboarding teen named Madison “Maddie” Johnson enters the picture. When Elliot first lays eyes on Maddie, she is smitten. Despite some initial reservations about the age gap, the two hit it off, and no public space is exempt from their sexual exploits. Maddie even bonds with young Jacob. Then, Devon shows up in Minnesota unannounced and makes the brash move of taking Jacob to a water park without Elliot’s permission. Devon is arrested for the act, though all charges wind up being dropped. He’s not the only one who will spend time in jail: After he informs Maddie’s mother about Maddie’s relationship with an adult woman, the wheels of outrage begin turning. The narrative offers different perspectives from different characters. The story begins with Elliot as the protagonist, followed by excerpts from Devon’s memoir, followed by a screenplay written by Maddie, and finally concluding with college admission essays from a much older Jacob. The shifting angles keep the story fresh with new developments always in store; for instance, while Devon may initially appear to be an “insecure man who slunk through life as if eternally misunderstood,” he later becomes much more multifaceted, and even likable. Maddie’s screenplay proves to be more drawn-out than the other material. When Maddie’s parents say things like “Proud of you” after he graduates high school, it’s dull fare. Though such scenes build to later excitement, they make for a slow boil.

A memorable, enticing account of conflicting lovers—even if some portions are needlessly prolonged.