Early Work

That moment in early adulthood when life seems full of possibilities but is also incredibly scary forms the sweet spot of Martin’s astute debut. Peter Cunningham, a compulsive reader and lover of literature (but not of academia), teaches in a women’s prison while trying to finish writing his first novel. He has abandoned a rigorous PhD program at Columbia to follow his undergraduate lover, Julia, to medical school in Virginia, where they adopt a dog, settle in, and drift apart. Peter finds a whole new set of friends and, with time on his hands, enjoys himself with them while Julia works tirelessly. For Peter, it’s the mental acknowledgement of an estrangement that causes the separation to widen. Just as these new friends take over Peter’s life, the novel shifts focus, from Peter’s first-person narrative to a third-person examination of Leslie, a woman who has clear romantic chemistry with Peter. The book’s seven parts alternate between these two perspectives. Leslie’s backstory traces her young adulthood up to the point where she meets Peter. Her path is similarly rootless, with stints in New York and Montana for graduate school. Peter keeps the relationship a secret from Julia as long as he can, with significant consequences. This is a smart and beautifully observed story about fallible people. (July)