The Cure for Modern Life, Lisa Tucker. Atria, $24.95 (321p), ISBN 978-0-7434-9279-9
Tucker
offers a cure for modern readers seeking an enjoyable literary pageturner
that also explores serious social issues such as addiction, ethics and
genetics. Tucker’s fourth and most ambitious novel (following Once Upon a
Day) is her first to have a male protagonist. Sardonic and emotionally
aloof, Matthew Connelly directs his energies away from romantic
entanglements and toward his work as an executive at pharmaceutical giant
Astor- Denning. His bitter ex-girlfriend, Amelia, works as a medical ethics
watchdog and is poised to take Matthew and his company down. But the
appearance of homeless 10- year-old Danny and his toddler sister shakes up
the lives of the combustible pair. In crisp, lively prose, Tucker cleverly
executes a series of surprising twists that, coupled with the Big Pharma
backdrop and cinematic feel, make the novel as fast-paced as a thriller, but
with astute and often humorous observations about the shifting morality of
21st-century America. The relationship dilemmas at the center of this story
make it an excellent choice for book clubs, but the novel should also
increase Tucker’s male readership and solidify her position as a gifted
writer with a wide range and a profound sense of compassion for the
mysteries of the human heart. (Mar. 25)