Leaving Sophie Dean

In Whitaker’s contrived debut, Adam Dean attempts to leave his dowdy wife, Sophie, and their two young sons for another woman—the haughty Valerie Hughes—but Sophie turns the table on him by moving out and leaving him with the kids. The novel’s title does clever double duty, describing Sophie’s discovery of her post-housewife self and Adam’s unexpected difficulties in the aftermath of trying to leave her. Sophie moves into a small apartment where the kids come after school and every other weekend, and she enrolls in shiatsu classes to blaze a career path. Once a distant father, Adam is thrust into being the primary caretaker, though he eventually finds enjoyment in the daily rituals of child rearing. This is a blow to Valerie, who would rather live an extravagant lifestyle in Boston with her lover as opposed to dealing with screaming kids in the dull suburbs. Unfortunately, the book is full of self-serving characters—even Valerie’s best friend Agatha is a self-righteous backstabber. Whitaker almost redeems herself with the story’s resolution, but a forced writing style and unlikable characters make this a disappointing debut. (Mar.)