In Salthill-on-Hudson, a half-hour train ride from Manhattan, everyone is rich, beautiful, and - though they look much younger - middle-aged.
But when Adam Berendt, a charismatic, mysterious sculptor, dies suddenly in a brash act of heroism, shock waves rock the town. But who was Adam Berendt? Was he in fact a hero, or someone more flawed and human?
EXTRACTHOW DEATH ENTERS your life.
WHAT I THOUGHTI thought Middle Age: A Romance was hugely enjoyable; a fantastic example of what JCO does really well. This novel is more a character study than anything else, showing the effect death has on people who knew the deceased so well - or thought they did. Adam's death and the perplexing secrets revealed do not devastate his neighbours but rather set in force events that change them in different ways. The characters in Middle Age: A Romance are rich and shallow. I thought this novel was going to be a mystery delving into Adam's secret life. Adam was a genius at playing the poor boy compared to his wealthy neighbours but in the end he had the last laugh. I was bit disappointed this wasn't the case and Adam's death and the revelations of his life were just a small part of the story. I didn't like any of the characters in Middle Age: A Romance; they are selfish, horrible people for the most part, so self-involved I wanted to give them a good slap. They were fascinating however, and I felt secretly delighted when things fall apart in spectacular fashion for some of them. This book is a lot like Desperate Housewives which I actually think is a great show and much deeper than would initially appear. Much the same can be said of Middle Age: A Romance. The characters are shallow and unlikable at times but there is something much deeper going on. I really enjoyed this novel.
