Reading-The Kept Man

You may remember that one of my New Year goals was to read more.  Well my brain has not really been functioning well enough for me to sit and concentrate on a book whilst i've been pregnant.  I've started books and quickly got bored or realised i've read 50 pages or so and haven't taken in one word!  One book i did manage to finish is 'The Kept Man' by Jami Attenberg.

A riveting debut novel from a rising literary star about a young woman whose husband has fallen into a coma, and her discovery of evidence that casts doubt on their marriage.

Six years ago, Jarvis Miller's husband, an artist whose career was just starting to gain momentum, fell into a coma. And ever since, Jarvis has been waiting. At first, she was waiting for him to wake up so that their happy marriage could be continued. But she's spent too many years of dwindling hope, living as a half-widow, and selling off more and more pieces of his artwork to power the machines that keep him alive. Now, Jarvis has come to admit that she's waiting for her husband to die.

One spring day at the local laundromat, Jarvis meets the members of the Kept Man Club: three handsome, interesting men, all married to breadwinner wives, who gather once a week on laundry day. Their companionship opens her eyes to the possibilities of family and friendship she's been missing for so many years. At the same time, her husband's best friend and his art dealer pressure Jarvis to collect the remainder of his work for a retrospective-a proposition that engenders mixed feelings, since it's usually an honor reserved for the already dead. Sorting through a hidden box of photographs, she uncovers evidence of a shocking betrayal that calls into question her idealized vision of the past.

Told in a spare and utterly compelling narrative voice, The Kept Man is a compulsively readable novel about love and loss, one that is sure to establish Jami Attenberg as one of our most dynamic new storytellers.

It was an easy enough read for my mushy pregnant brain and i mostly enjoyed reading it, i did find the whole coma thing a little depressing but hey!  I managed to finish reading a book, that's an achievement for me at the moment.
I tried starting 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver the other night but again my brain isn't taking it in so i'm going to wait until after baby has arrived.  I'm going to be doing lots of sitting on my bum nursing bub so i'll need something to occupy my time and i have plenty of books on my bookshelf waiting to be read.  Maybe i'll even be able to manage some knitting or embroidery if i can figure out a way to grow another arm or two!

Comments

[Bianca]

I watched a lot of TV while breastfeeding - shameful I know.I did however manage to embroider while feeding which I was very happy with - knitting and feeding would definitely require a third arm or maybe even fourth.

Good luck for a safe birth and healthy bub, I'm thinking of you and eagerly awaiting the news!!! xx

[Pip]

Oooh.. i wonder if today will be the day! Hope you are feeling happy and rested and GOOD LUCK with it all! xx

[Mel Ainsworth]

The book sounds wonderful.I'm going to give that one a try.
I too,can't seem to concentrate or maybe I havn't found the right book.
I'm quite impaitent cos my 'me' time is so brief.thanks for the recomendation.

[carol]

I'm reading a really great book "The Year of the Goat", it's easy to pick up and read! I imagine this may be a good choice while nursing...man, I got so much reading done during that time!