Pete and Alice in Maine

A New York City family struggles through the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in this perceptive debut novel from Shetterly (after the memoir Made for Me and You). Alice, an aspiring writer, is terrified of the disease in March 2020. Despite reflecting that her “privilege is... almost criminal,” she convinces her family to flee the city for their second home in Maine. After they arrive, locals fell two trees across their driveway in an effort to quarantine the outsiders. The family spends two weeks surviving on cereal and olives before venturing out. As Alice tries to adjust to their new life, she confronts her husband, Pete, about his infidelity. Their eldest daughter, Sophie, has her first period and falls deeper into sullen moods. Her younger sister, Iris, almost drowns at a swimming hole. In the fall, Pete’s finance job calls him back to the city; Alice refuses to join him and accuses him of going back to his mistress. Though Shetterly leaves the class and economic elements underexplored (despite Alice’s early hand-wringing), she goes a lot farther in her character development, showing how Pete attempts to recommit to Alice while she tries to change the patterns that caused their rift. As a pandemic novel, this doesn’t add much, but the psychological acuity applied to the family drama is undeniable. (July)