The Shape of Things to Come
A Novel
On Sale: 07/23/2002
The Shape of Things to Come
A Novel
On Sale: 07/23/2002
Format:
About the Book
Isabelle, a woman in her thirties without any of the trappings of a grown-up life, has just been fired from her job at a San Francisco phone company. Returning to the midwestern suburb of her childhood, Standardsville, Illinois, she contends with her dating single mother, a neighbor who once appeared on The Honeymooners, and an ex-boyfriend. She also becomes a mystery shopper for a temp agency, posing as a variety of potential tenants for newly built suburban communities to access their exclusive services.
Enchanted by the possiblities of disguise, Isabelle spins a web of lies that keeps the world at a distance until she unearths long-kept secrets that force her to rethink everything she thought she knew.
Critical Praise
“Casey is a stand-up philosopher posing vexing questions about human existence. She’s funny, inventive…dazzling narrative dare.” — The New York Times Book Review
“Complex, mature and compelling.” — The Chicago Tribune
"Maud Casey's accomplished first novel, takes up with the endearingly subversive Isabelle . . . — Elle
“A startling debut. [Casey’s] fresh voice emerges like a song that’s bound to be a hit.” — Virginia Quarterly Review
"Isabelle is so vivacious that even though she's utterly confused about her future, we know it'll turn out just fine." — Redbook
"Casey is very good at creating characters who are torn between the strong emotions they experience . . . " — Ann Beattie
"Casey deftly writes about the struggle out of the tomb, the restoration of sanity, the search for a small peace. — Mark Richard
"Full of lovely sentences, empathetic characters. This story is as engaging and scintillating as one told by a best friend. — Darcey Steinke
"Isabelle is a millennial treasure. The journey from child to woman . . . is poignant and funny.". — Anne Rivers Siddons
"This is a wonderful account of our need to both invent and reinvent ourselves. A deft and generous book. — Margot Livesey
-Resources
Product Details
- ISBN: 9780060084417
- ISBN 10: 0060084413
- Imprint: Harper Perennial
- On Sale: 07/23/2002
- Pages: 272
- List Price:15.99 CAD
- BISAC1 : FICTION / Family Life
- BISAC2 : FICTION / Contemporary Women
- BISAC3 : FICTION / Literary
