Simone seems to have everything. He is one of the Glitterati, fashionable elites who are so wealthy that their every whims are catered to without even being aware of things like servants and money. The Glitterati world is one defined by strict codes of fashion and conduct with styles and trends cycling through at a rapid speed. Memories are wiped any time anything unpleasant happens to prevent frown lines and worry wrinkles. Simone, his wife Georgie and their Glitterati friends live always in the near future of the next fashion trend they are chasing. Ugly people are to be avoided and pitied. Langmead fills the world with creative and whimsical details like water beds filled with living fish and a house that can be any of the seasons its owner chooses. This helps offset that for much of the novel Simone, Georgie and their friends are thoroughly unsympathetic characters and the novel meanders a bit before forming a plot. However, humanity (and a plot point) is brought into their lives with the child, a toddler who appears one day in their garden. Their efforts to understand this new addition bring in humor and caring; I came away appreciating my ugly, messy life more than I had before. Besides Giltterati available from eBCCLS, which was released yesterday, you can read two of Langmead’s previous works Dark Star and Metronome from Hoopla.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 