Carry the Dog

A woman nearing 60 looks back on her life in this bounteous if unfocused novel by Gangi (The Next). Bea Seger was the youngest of three children of Miriam Marx, a photographer made infamous for the nude pictures she took of her children and who died many years earlier by suicide. Bea has recently discovered a stash of Miriam’s work in a storage unit, and has to decide whether to show it at the Museum of Modern Art or allow a Hollywood producer to use it for a biopic. The work brings up unresolved speculation for Bea that she might have been abused by one of her twin brothers, who died at 16, and about what happened to her other brother, with whom she lost contact after he left for college. Meanwhile, she’s dealing with a possible cancer diagnosis, an ongoing, sometimes complicated friendship with her rock star ex-husband, the challenges of sharing an apartment with her father’s adopted aspiring musician daughter, and a long-term dog sitting job. There’s plot to spare, but the many mysteries, when solved, have little consequence, and the tone veers inexplicably between dark and light. Most endearing is Bea herself, who deals with the physical, psychological, economic, and romantic challenges of aging with humor and attitude. The memorable main character makes an otherwise flawed novel worth reading. (Nov.)