Standard Deviation
By Katherine Heiny
208 pages;
Fourth Estate
Smart, hilarious and
achingly observant, Heiny's debut novel explores the complexities of marriage
in ways that make you laugh, then wince, then laugh again, all while tearing
through the pages. At the center of the action is New Yorker and amateur home
chef Graham, who adores his eccentric second wife, Audra, but remains befuddled
by her habit of inviting any passing stranger she meets into their apartment—not
just for dinner, but for lengthy stays. Eventually, Audra folds his ex-wife,
Elspeth, into their lives, along with her elegant outfits, icy attitude and her
dandy boyfriend. Certain uncomfortable crushes ensue, all made more complicated
as Graham and Audra try to help their 10-year-old son, Matthew—who
has Asperger's—through his own social confusions. Along the way, the cast
of Audra's many guests—ranging from the members of an origami club
obsessed with obscure folding techniques to a slobbering, moaning, chocolate Lab
called Brodie—seduce and delight. Be forewarned, Heiny knows how to
nail the painful moments with sudden, exquisite articulation. As Graham says to
himself, "You could learn things about your wife and marriage that you
never suspected and still function. You could go around completely shredded
inside and no one could even tell."
— Leigh Newman