Hugo & Rose

Foley's debut is an inventive, cinematic domestic novel filled with Wizard of Oz%E2%80%93like dreams. Unhappy protagonist Rose is married to Josh, a trauma surgeon, with three small children: Isaac, Adam, and toddler Penny. Rose and her family live in "a shitty small town in eastern Colorado" where she drives a minivan, takes her kids to soccer games, and bemoans Josh's long hours at work. As a six-year-old, she suffered a serious bicycle mishap that precipitated her lifelong dreams of an imaginary play companion she calls Hugo, and of their quest to reach the Crystal City (%C3%A0 la Emerald City). By strange happenstance, she bumps into the real-life Hugo, who goes by the name David. Something of a loser, he works at a fast food chain restaurant called Orange Tastee and is divorced, with his ex and daughter, Rosalie, now residing in Fort Lauderdale. Rose obsesses over Hugo both in her dreams and her daily life, and the plot takes a more sinister turn when she suspects he intends to do harm to her and her family. Desperate to rescue his distressed wife, Josh gives her a variety of sleep medications. The old Hugo-and-Rose dreams continue to besiege her as she tries to come to grips with her inner turmoil. Foley's novel is interesting enough for its strange premise, but readers may have trouble discerning just how all the pieces fit together. (May)