There's a Word for That

Inheritance. After I finished reading Sloane Tanen’s novel titled, There’s a Word for That, I thought of something a psychiatrist said after pointing toward his copy of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: “we’re all in there somewhere.” Tanen uses the members of multiple generations of the Kessler family to describe aspects of inheritance and help readers laugh at our lifelong foibles. Protagonist Marty Kessler is a 75-year-old movie producer heading to rehab because he’s hooked on opioids. A fellow resident at the rehab in Malibu is Bunny Small, a 70-year-old writer to whom Marty had been married briefly decades earlier. Tanen defines some German words at the beginning of chapters to support the meaning of the book’s title. I felt mildly entertained and found Tanen’s prose enjoyable both in dialogue and exposition. Maybe all the dysfunction in the relationships was just tiring. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase There’s a Word for That from amazon.com.